Who Needs You?
by Kaorei
Summary: With new foes and new allies, come new Miraculous users and new responsibilities. Rivals with or without the mask, Adrien and Marinette may claim to hate each other, but it's only a matter of time until they admit that it's not quite true. — LadyNoir/Adrinette/MariChat/Ladrien, rival!au. Sequel to "Who Needs Love?".
1. Santa Claws: A Miraculous Christmas

**Who Needs You?**

_Episode 00_

Santa Claws: A Miraculous Christmas

"Don't you just love the snow?" Marinette asks, catching snowflakes with her gloved hands. "Don't you just love _Christmas_?"

She's walking alongside her best friend, Alya, who's holding onto the hand of the little girl they're babysitting, Manon. They're all on their way to the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, kicking piles of snow on the way and humming along to Christmas carols.

"I _love_ Christmas!" Manon exclaims, a spring in each step she takes. "The presents are the best part!"

"They sure are," Alya laughs. "Whether it's giving or receiving. Marinette especially loves giving."

"I just like to remind people that I care for them a lot," Marinette says before pointing at the two plushies popping out of Manon's backpack. "That's why I made you those Ladybug and Chat Noir plushies," she then points to Alya's ears, "and why I made Alya those earrings."

"Thank you again!" Manon exclaims. "I love my stuffies!"

"And I love my earrings," Alya grins.

The three girls soon find themselves in front of the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, and Marinette holds the door open for Alya and Manon. The bakery is decorated with red and green streamers, and two life-sized cardboard cut-outs of Ladybug and Chat Noir stand near the entrance. A _Tips_ box is placed in the Chat Noir cut-out's hands, and Santa Claus hats are neatly placed on both heroes' heads.

"Merry Christmas!" Tom and Sabine exclaim.

"Mom and Dad, I'll help you in the bakery, so that I can pass Christmas logs to my friends," Marinette says cheerfully. Sabine passes her daughter the traditional Christmas dessert, who's on her way to give it to Alya. However, clumsy as always, the log slips out of her hands, ready to be splattered all over the floor, but Alya catches it at the last second.

"That was a close one," Alya laughs. "Merry Christmas, you three!"

"Merry Christmas to you and your family," Marinette says, waving goodbye as her best friend exits the bakery.

"Careful not to drop any logs, Marinette," Tom teases, making Marinette grin sheepishly.

The bakery doors open once again to reveal Alix and her father, who drops a few coins into the _Tips_ box.

"Alix!" Marinette exclaims, grabbing a log from the counter to hand it to her pink-haired friend. "Merry Christmas!"

"You too, Marinette," Alix says, giving her a hug. Marinette quickly reaches over the counter to give her friend a little Christmas gift, who thanks her excitedly for it.

"Happy Holidays!" Alix's father exclaims before leaving with his daughter.

Not too long after, Rose and Juleka walk into the bakery together. After giving her two close friends warm hugs, Marinette hands them a log each, as well as a little Christmas gift as usual. Nadja enters the bakery a little later to pick her daughter up, and after being handed her own log, she thanks the Dupain-Cheng's for the lovely Christmas dessert. After Nadja comes Nino, who excitedly thanks Marinette for the log and the gift she prepared for him as well. Sabrina comes in a few minutes later, and after her comes—

"Chloe…" Marinette mutters under her breath, nearly crushing the package in her hands.

She continues to make a face at the blonde, who scoffs, "Do you want a photo?"

"Marinette, it's Christmas!" Sabine says from the counter.

Marinette presents the log to Chloe, mumbling, "Merry Christmas, Chloe."

"Could you repeat that?" Chloe smirks, holding a hand to her ear. "I couldn't hear you."

"_Merry Christmas Chloe_!" Marinette screams, clutching the log in her hands even tighter.

"Much better," Chloe smirks victoriously. "Now, give me my log."

"Chloe, that's not you should be treating people. It's Christmas," Andre Bourgeois says, making his daughter grumble incoherently.

"_Merry Christmas, Marinette_!" Chloe screams, swiping the dessert out of her enemy's hands. "But I still hate your guts, don't you forget."

"How could I?" Marinette says flatly.

Soon after Chloe and her father leaves, Adrien's bodyguard walks into the bakery. He drops a handful of coins into the little _Tips_ box and walks over to the counter to pick up a Christmas log.

"Merry Christmas, Adrien's bodyguard!" Marinette exclaims, handing him the dessert. She then reaches over the counter to grab Adrien's gift, but her face falls when she realizes it isn't there. "Um, hold on one second. I have something for Adrien."

Marinette hurries up to her room, digging through all her things to try to look for her rival's gift.

"Where's the gift? I swear I just had it," Marinette says aloud.

Her kwami, Tikki, flies out of her purse and flies over to her desk. "It's right here, Marinette!" the little ladybug exclaims.

"Oh! Thanks, Tikki," Marinette says, patting her head.

While Marinette is making her way down the steps, Tikki floats near her head, saying, "I'm really surprised you made something for Adrien."

"It doesn't mean anything," Marinette huffs.

"Are you sure?" Tikki giggles. "Earlier, you told Alya and Manon you gave people gifts to remind them that you care for them."

When Marinette stays silent, Tikki giggles even louder.

Back in the bakery, Marinette is surprised to see that Adrien's bodyguard left already. She quickly rushes outside and follows him to his car.

"Excuse me, if you don't mind…" she begins once catching his attention. Marinette hands him a gift, which is neatly wrapped in lavender and white polka-dotted paper, and it's being held together with a golden yellow ribbon. "This is for Adrien."

Gorilla takes the gift with a nod.

"Please let him know I wish him a Merry Christmas, even if we do fight a lot," Marinette says, muttering that last part.

With another silent nod, Gorilla enters the car and drives off.

"You think he'll like it?" Marinette asks Tikki, who pokes her head out of her purse.

"I think he will," Tikki smiles.

* * *

At the Agreste mansion, Adrien and Nathalie are decorating the Christmas tree with streamers and ornaments of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

"Do you think he'll like the decorations, Nathalie?" Adrien asks hopefully. He frowns when Nathalie remains silent—that's never a good sign.

Gorilla enters the mansion, shrugging off his winter coat and stomping his boots on the carpet to shake off the snow.

"Gorilla's back. Father should be down here already so that we can all be together," Adrien says melancholically. "Did you call him?"

"Perhaps we should give him… a few more minutes," Nathalie hesitates. Adrien knows her hesitation means his father isn't going to be joining them at all.

"He's not coming, is he?" Adrien asks sadly. "Merry Christmas, both of you."

Adrien hangs his head low, making his way over to the stairs to lock himself in his room. Before he can take one step up the stairs, Gorilla places a hand on his shoulder, causing hi to stop in his tracks.

"What is it?" Adrien asks, the frown on his face never leaving.

Gorilla reaches into his pocket and hands him the gift the girl at the bakery asked him to deliver. Adrien, believing it's just a gift his father ordered them to buy for him, takes it without giving it as much as a glance and shoves it into his pocket. He hurries up the stairs, failing to hear the sad sigh that escapes Nathalie's lips, and the angry grunt Gorilla makes before heading over to the dining area to set the Christmas log on the table.

Upon entering his room, Adrien closes the door and immediately plops onto his bed. He eyes the Chat Noir plushie sitting by his pillows and smiles as it immediately reminds him of Marinette. She gave it to him when he decided to pay her a visit after they defeated The Puppeteer together, and it's been a special item to him ever since.

"Since your dad isn't coming anytime soon, why don't we pay Marinette another quick visit?" Adrien's kwami, Plagg, says as he pokes his head out from behind the Chat Noir plushie.

"I can't do that, Plagg," Adrien frowns.

"Why not?" the little black cat asks.

"Because it's Christmas. She's undoubtedly spending time with her family, just like everyone else," Adrien says, sitting upright to curl into a ball. "I should've expected this. My father's never going to change; he'll always only think of himself. I just want this terrible day to be over with."

"Adrien…" Plagg frowns.

"I hate Christmas," Adrien mutters. He gets up from his bed and walks over to his window to watch the snow dance in the air. "I need to get out of here."

"I know what you're thinking," Plagg sighs, and flies over to his user.

"Plagg," Adrien says. "Transform me."

After transforming into Chat Noir, the blond leaps out of his window and into the night. He hops from roof to roof, hoping to find something to distract him from the horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. Instead, he finds himself watching families eat dinner together, children opening gifts by their Christmas tree, and couples watching Christmas movies by the fireplace.

"Only I'm alone tonight," Chat Noir says, feeling the anger inside gradually swelling up.

When Chat Noir reaches the heart of the city, he takes notice of the huge, decorated Christmas tree. He jumps off the rooftop he's standing on, landing just meters away from the joyful Christmas symbol. He glares daggers at it, and starts sprinting towards it, his mind clouded with nothing but hatred.

"CATACLYSM!" he screams as black, destructive bubbles appear on his right hand.

Just as he's about to touch it, however, his mother's face appears in his mind. He freezes, his hand just _inches_ away from touching the Christmas tree.

"M-mom?" Chat Noir chokes.

Realization of what he's about to do hits him in a second, and he hurriedly looks around for something to use his Cataclysm on. He instantly eyes a large post with a Gabriel Agreste advertisement on it, and he loses no time. The post collapses at his touch, and Chat Noir walks away shamefully at the realization of what he almost did.

Chat Noir drops to his knees pathetically, letting his transformation go.

"Let's go, Plagg. This was such a stupid idea," Adrien says with a sigh. When his kwami appears, he isn't floating like he usually is, but instead lying on the cold ground. That's enough to make Adrien panic and hurriedly pick him up with his hands. "Plagg?!"

"I'm sorry, Adrien," Plagg says. "I really wish I could help you transform back to get home, but I'm so cold… and hungry, too."

"Oh no, what have I done?! I'll get you something to eat right away," Adrien says, digging a hand into his inner breast pocket. He blanches upon realizing that he forgot to stock up on Camembert cheese. "I _must_ have something to help keep you warm."

He then starts looking through his pants' pockets for something to keep his kwami warm, hands landing on the gift Gorilla gave him earlier. He immediately rips it open, gasping to find a red Santa Claus hat with snowflake designs scattered all over the red fabric.

"This is perfect!" Adrien says, picking his kwami up to stuff him in the hat.

"So… warm…" Plagg says, burying himself even deeper in the hat. "Thanks, Adrien."

Adrien picks up the wrapping paper to throw it into the nearby trash bin, when he catches sight of a little card attached to the golden yellow ribbon.

"Merry Christmas, Adrien. I'll lay off the name-calling for today. Signed, Marinette," Adrien reads. A smile makes his way to his face, and he rips the card off the ribbon to keep.

"You look happy," Plagg teases.

"You know what, Plagg?" Adrien says, walking off to find someplace warm for him and his kwami. "I'm not so angry anymore. I was at first because I thought I was spending it alone, but I have you."

Plagg smiles. "Merry Christmas, Adrien," he says.

"Merry Christmas, Plagg."

While walking away, Marinette's card falls out of his pocket, but Adrien doesn't notice at all. All that's on his mind right now is looking for a place to stay; a place that he can call home for the night.

* * *

Marinette takes a bite of her mother's homemade dinner, sighing in delight at the explosion of flavor. "Your food is as good as always, Mom," Marinette compliments, stuffing her face with more food.

"Thank you, Dear," Sabine says, pouring more food into her hungry husband's plate.

Marinette's phone suddenly rings, and her eyebrow raises at the sight of the _Unknown Caller_ title above the mystery number. "Hello?" she answers.

"Hello, my name is Nathalie Sancoeur, Gabriel Agreste's assistant," the woman on the other line says. "Is Adrien with you?"

"Adrien?" Marinette asks, making her parents look up. "He isn't with me, I'm sorry."

"Would you happen to have an idea of where he could be?" she asks, and although her voice monotonous, Marinette can tell she's worried. "He left and hasn't come home."

"No, I… I'm sorry, I have no idea where he could be. But I'll help look for him," Marinette says.

"Thank you," is all the woman says before hanging up.

"Adrien's missing," Marinette says after putting her phone away.

"Where could he be?" Sabine asks. She thinks of how horrified _she_ would be if her daughter disappeared on such a happy holiday, and her heart drops for the poor boy's family. She gives her husband a knowing look, who nods and puts the presents in his hands back in their places under the tree.

"Let's take a look around the neighborhood, just in case," Tom says, getting up. "The presents can wait. Do you want to join us, Marinette?"

"I'll stay here," Marinette says. "In the case he passes by the bakery, I'll be here waiting for him."

"Good idea," Tom says, rushing over to the coatrack to shrug on his winter coat.

"Go on ahead, I'm just going to quickly contact my other classmates to see if he's with any of them," Marinette says, rushing into her room. She shuts the trapdoor behind her, and she opens her purse to let Tikki out.

"Adrien's gone?" Tikki asks.

"That idiot, where could he be?" Marinette asks aloud, a twinge of worry in her voice. "As annoying as he can be, we need to go find him. TIKKI, TRANSFORM ME!"

* * *

"Don't worry, Plagg, I'll find you something to eat," Adrien says, holding the hat close. "I can't promise it'll be Camembert, though."

"It's all right, Adrien. You should look for someplace warm though, I can see you shivering," Plagg says. "Or you should at least go buy a sweater."

"I'm fine," Adrien says. "All that matters is that _you're_ warm and fed."

Plagg frowns worriedly at his user's stubbornness, but he pushes it no further.

"Ho, ho, ho!"

Adrien and Plagg look up to see an old man dressed in red and white talking to two little children. A sleigh being pulled with horses instead of reindeers stand behind him, and it's filled with colorful presents of different shapes and sizes.

"No need to fight, children," the man says, handing the little girl a snow globe and the little boy a book. "Good ol' Santa Claus has a gift for everyone."

"These gifts are so lame," the girl says, dropping the snow globe on the ground.

"No!" Santa Claus exclaims as he tried to catch it. He fails to, however, and only watches sadly as the glass shatters, making the liquid leak all over the ground.

On his way to picking it up, the little girl continues, "And I bet your beard is fake!" She proceeds to pull on his long, white beard, and Adrien's face contorts in anger at the sight.

"Ow! Please, easy on the beard, it's not fake at all," the old man says.

The little boy throws the book over his shoulder and proceeds to throw snowballs at him. "No way are you the _real_ Santa Claus," he says, throwing a snowball hard enough to knock the hat off of Santa Claus' head.

The little girl joins him, and she throws a snowball so hard it knocks the poor man off his feet. Having has enough of this, Adrien runs over to Santa Claus to help him get back on his feet. However, he arrives just as the little girl throws a fresh snowball, and it hits him right on the chest. Both the little boy and girl gasp loudly.

"I'm sorry!" she automatically exclaims.

"You should be saying sorry to him," Adrien scolds. "Even if he's not the real one, what would Santa think of your behavior? If you ask me, Santa has every right to give you coal instead of presents."

The two kids look down guiltily.

"The young man's right," a man passing by with his wife says. "Kids, say sorry right now."

"Sorry, Santa Claus," they say in unison.

"It's all right, children," Santa Claus says with a tired smile.

"Now, where are you parents?" the woman asks as the kids start walking towards an open shop.

"Are you all right?" Adrien asks, shrugging snow off of the old man's Santa Claus hat. Once done, he hands it back to him, who thanks him kindly.

"Don't worry, I'm a tough old Santa," he laughs. "But what are _you_ doing outside at this time? Are you lost?"

"I'm not lost…" Adrien answers.

"You aren't exactly dressed for the cold weather either," the man says, kindly placing a hot blanket on the blond. "Would you like some hot chocolate? I still have some left, and I have mini marshmallows, too."

"I would love some, Sir," Adrien answers.

"What are you doing with that hat in your hands instead of on your head?" Santa Claus chortles, making Adrien laugh nervously.

Plagg winks at him and flies out of the hat to hide in the huge pompom at the tip of the hat. Adrien puts the hat on, and says, "My arms were really cold, so I thought holding it would help warm me up a little."

"You're an odd one, aren't you?" the old man laughs. "Is there anything else you would like? Something to eat?"

"Would you happen to have a slice of Camembert cheese?" Adrien asks, making Plagg light up.

"You're in luck! I have a few slices in my sandwich," Santa Claus says, handing him a slice. When the man turns away, Adrien immediately gives the cheese to his kwami, who gobbles it up in three seconds flat. "Would you like to have half of my sandwich to eat? I doubt that little bit of cheese will fill you up."

"I'm all right, Sir, thank you. I'm just a bit thirsty, is all," Adrien says.

"I'll get that hot chocolate ready in no time, then," he grins, gesturing for Adrien to sit in the sleigh with him. "Extra mashmallows?"

"Please," Adrien smiles.

Santa Claus pours hot chocolate into two cups of different sizes. He gives Adrien the bigger one, who graciously thanks him before taking a sip.

"Delicious!" the blond exclaims, taking another sip.

"So, what has you feeling so down on such a cheery holiday?" the old man asks.

"It's my first Christmas without my mom, Sir," Adrien frowns. "And my father…"

"Doesn't know how to move on? I understand. But your father must be wondering where you are, you know. He must be very worried about you."

"My father doesn't care about me…"

"Of course he does. Even if he doesn't show it, he loves you very much," Santa Claus says, putting his cup of hot chocolate away. "Now that you've gotten out of the house and cleared your thoughts, don't you think it's a good idea to go home?"

"You're right," Adrien says, giving him a small smile.

"I'll take you there on my sleigh," the old man offers, hopping to the front of his vehicle. He puts his red hat on, making Adrien a bit sad with how worn-out it looks.

He takes Marinette's hat off, and quietly says, "Come on, Plagg."

The black cat kwami flies out of the pompom to hide in Adrien's inner breast pocket instead. The blond looks down at the precious gift, wanting so bad to keep it because Marinette made it just for him, but Christmas is about giving, and putting others' happiness before your own.

"Here, Sir," Adrien says, offering the man his hat. "The friend who gave it to me would want you to have it."

"I can't possibly take this," Santa Claus says.

"I insist. Everyone deserves a Christmas present," Adrien says. "And I would like to give it as thank you for keeping me company."

"Thank you," the man says, graciously accepting the hat. "Now, let's get you home."

* * *

Ladybug swings by the heart of the city, where the enormous Christmas tree stands. She gasps upon seeing the crumbled remains of what seems to be a post, and she lets go of her yoyo to land right in front of it.

"There's only one thing this kind of damage can bring," Ladybug says. "It's Chat Noir's Cataclysm."

Ladybug then notices something red on the ground beneath a thin layer of snow, and hurries over to it to check it out. She wipes the snow off, surprised to find a familiar red envelope. She opens it up to read it, and her suspicions are confirmed at the contents of the letter.

"It's the card I gave to Adrien," Ladybug says. "Adrien disappears, Chat Noir casts Cataclysm… what if Adrien was targeted by an akumatized victim?"

Her face then contorts in anger.

"Of _course_ Chat Noir wouldn't let me know about it, that stupid cat definitely just wants his point!" Ladybug exclaims in frustration.

Ladybug looks up from the letter to find footsteps leading right out of the open area and into the streets of Paris.

"Footsteps?" Ladybug asks herself, following them.

While walking, she passes by a billboard with her and Chat Noir on it, frowning at the sight of her rival. She hoped so bad to see him for the holiday, but she knows that asking him to join her for patrol would be selfish of her. He has his own family to spend Christmas with, and she certainly didn't want to get in the way of that.

"That's right, I'll help whether you want it or not," Ladybug says, sighing sadly. "Because you're the boy I secretly like."

* * *

"So, who is this friend?" Santa Claus asks as he continues to guide his horses.

"She's… a very special friend," Adrien says, and the old man can already tell that she's a crush. "She doesn't like me very much, but she still went out of her way to make me a present."

"I see," he replies with a knowing smile.

"Well, enough about me. How about you, Sir? How will you be celebrating Christmas?" Adrien asks Santa Claus as they ride through the empty streets.

"Me? I have all of Paris, and the world, even!" the old man answers joyfully, hoping it's enough to fool the blond into thinking he isn't alone.

"You're alone, too, aren't you?" Adrien asks.

"Let's just say… Mrs. Claus isn't here anymore," Santa Claus says solemnly.

"Then, come join my family and I," Adrien smiles. "We're a bit unusual, but we care about each other a lot. It'd really help if you brought some Christmas spirit back into our home."

"Are you sure it's all right?" Santa Claus asks. "I wouldn't want to intrude."

"My father won't be joining us anyway, so how would he know?" Adrien shrugs.

"Oh… alright. But I can't stay for too long, you do know that Santa's very busy at Christmas time," he laughs.

"Just take a left turn here, and my house should be the first thing you see," Adrien says.

Nodding, Santa Claus takes a left and stares up in awe at the magnificent mansion before him. He gets his horses to slow down and halt to a stop, growing nervous as he approaches the gates with Adrien by his side.

Adrien rings the doorbell, and his father immediately answers, making their security camera light up with life.

"Adrien, is that you?!" Gabriel Agreste's worried yet angry voice asks through the speakers. The camera suddenly shifts over to the old man. "Who are you?!"

"I'm Santa Claus, of course!" he exclaims.

"Really, now? That would make me the Easter Bunny," Gabriel Agreste answers. This comment alone makes the smiles on both Adrien and Santa Claus' faces disappear. "You're here for money, I suppose? I'll get my bodyguard to deal with you."

"No, Father, you're wrong," Adrien says, running in front of the camera.

"No, he's not."

Adrien swiftly turns around to find Ladybug behind him, spinning her yoyo.

"Ladybug?!" Adrien exclaims.

"Your father's right," Ladybug says, making a defensive stance while continuing to swirl her yoyo. "He's an akumatized victim under Hawkmoth's control. I thought Chat Noir caught him by now, but guess not."

"You're all insane!" the old man exclaims, rushing to get back on his sleigh. "I'm leaving!"

Before he could get on his sleigh, Ladybug throws her yoyo at him, allowing it to tie him up.

"Ladybug, stop!" Adrien exclaims. "He hasn't been akumatized!"

"I know when I'm looking at an akumatized victim, Adrien," Ladybug replies, looking at him sternly.

"Clearly, you don't because he _isn't_ one," Adrien argues.

Their arguing is interrupted by the sound of Santa Claus rushing off on his sleigh, making Adrien exclaim, "Sir, wait! Don't leave!"

"You're safe now, go on inside," Ladybug says, throwing her yoyo into the distance. "I'll take care of him."

"Ladybug, wait!" Adrien exclaims when she takes off, growing frustrated as everyone ignores everything he's been trying to say.

He's about to take off running after them, when the gates suddenly swing open.

"Adrien," Nathalie says.

Adrien takes one last look in the direction Ladybug went, and he rushes back into the mansion to head back into his room. Nathalie and Gorilla chase after him, calling out to him as he's running up the stairs, two steps at a time.

"Adrien, where are you going?" Nathalie asks.

"To my room," Adrien answers. "Since Father isn't going to be celebrating with us."

"He planned to," Nathalie says. "Your father came to see you earlier, but you'd gone out. I'll tell him that you're waiting for him, but he instructed for us to make sure you stay in your room this time. Gorilla will be keeping you company until then."

"Fine," Adrien says, clutching his fists.

The two enter Adrien's room, who turns on his video game console. He decides to play a round to drive off any suspicion Gorilla may have as he tries to come up with a plan on how to sneak out. His game, however, is soon interrupted by a flying sleigh that phases right through his window.

"Santa Claus?!" Adrien exclaims, getting up. Gorilla instinctively stands in front of him to protect him.

"Actually, it's Santa _Claws_," the akumatized victim says. He begins to sing an introduction for himself, a parody of a joyful, Christmas carol. "I'll punish you, and give you a fright!"

He points at Gorilla, and makes a gift box appear out of seemingly nowhere. "Have a horrible Christmas night!"

Santa Claws throws the box in front of Gorilla, which explodes and clouds the room with green smoke that smells disgusting. When the smoke recedes, over a dozen of tarantulas crawl out of the box and all over Gorilla, who scurries out of the room, his arachnophobia getting the best of him.

"I'll do you no harm, Adrien," Santa Claws assures. "You were kind to me, and you gave me a present I won't forget. I'll avenge you, us, and make sure that everyone remembers that this Christmas is one of _revenge_!"

Santa Claws phases through the window once more, ignoring Adrien's cries for him to stop.

"Let's get that tally mark?" Plagg asks, floating out of Adrien's pocket.

"Just what I was thinking," Adrien nods, punching the air. "PLAGG, TRANSFORM ME!"

A flash of green later, Chat Noir jumps out the window and back into the cold night. He jumps from one roof to the other, following a very obvious flying sleigh in the sky.

"Chat Noir? Is that you?"

Chat Noir turns to his right to see Ladybug running alongside him; he was too preoccupied with catching the akumatized villain that he didn't even notice her.

"Where _were_ you?" Ladybug asks. "What happened with Adrien?"

"It's a long story, and quite frankly, none of your business," Chat Noir says, still somewhat bitter that she refused to listen to him as Adrien.

"What's with you?" she huffs. "It's a harmless question."

"A question I'd rather put on hold for now," Chat Noir says, leaping off the roof. Ladybug watches him land perfectly onto Santa Claws' sleigh, and she does the same when the next opportunity comes.

"Who's going to deliver presents to the children now, Santa Claws?" Chat Noir asks, elongating his silver staff.

"There are no more presents, no more spirit of Christmas!" Santa Claws says, throwing a gift box in Chat Noir's direction. "You should've been nice instead of naughty!"

Chat Noir dodges the gift box successfully, but he falls backwards and right off the sleigh when Santa Claws throws another less than a second later.

"I've been nice all year!" Chat Noir says as he's falling. Ladybug immediately dives after him and grabs his hand before launching her yoyo at the sleigh with all her might.

"Nice to everyone, but me," Ladybug mumbles, making Chat Noir feel somewhat guilty.

They're suddenly jerked forward when Santa Claws speeds up. "How about a nice sleigh ride, my little wretched elves?" he cackles maniacally.

Santa Claws makes his sleigh fly in loops and sharp turns, hoping to lose the two heroes hanging from the bottom of his sleigh. After realizing that they won't be letting go any time soon, the villain starts throwing boxes at them, unfortunately only hitting Chat Noir.

"Oh, _come on_!" Chat Noir screams in frustration after shaking off some cockroaches. "Why aren't you hitting _her_?"

"Because _I've_ been nice all year," Ladybug says. "I'll try to stop the sleigh, and you—"

"Get the akuma and get the last point before the new year, got it!" Chat Noir exclaims.

However, just as Ladybug's about to launch him back onto the sleigh, Chat Noir catches sight of a familiar auburn-haired girl on a balcony filming the scene on her phone.

"_Wait_!" Chat Noir exclaims. "Ladybug, let your yoyo go!"

Are you _insane_?!" she screams.

"Just trust me!"

Ladybug hesitantly lets her yoyo loose, sending both rivals flying in the direction of Alya's house. They land right in the middle of her living room, causing the entire family to scream or gasp in absolute shock. Alya instead screams excitedly and continues to film.

"Ladybug? Chat Noir? And in my home, too!" Alya exclaims. "Anything you'd like to say for the LadyBlog and Miraculous Chat?"

Chat Noir immediately gets up and proceeds to strike poses for the camera.

"Too bad you won't be able to film this villain's defeat because I'm getting this point," Chat Noir winks, while Ladybug gets up and rolls her eyes in the background.

"Come to think of it, I haven't been able to film you de-evilizing an akuma yet," Alya says thoughtfully. "What are the points as of now?"

"We're tied at fourteen-fourteen," Chat Noir says truthfully. "But I'll be getting the final point of the year."

He walks over to Alya's twin siblings, and asks, "Got an empty box for me? And maybe some tape, a ribbon, and some pretty wrapping paper?"

"Are you wrapping yourself up as a gift?" Ladybug asks as Chat Noir ruffles the little kids' hair after they gave him everything he asked for.

"Oh, that actually sounds like a pretty good plan," Chat Noir says honestly. "But I think I'll stick to mine instead."

Chat Noir and Ladybug head over to the balcony, but before leaving, Chat Noir turns to the family and says, "Thank you for all your help, have a _Mew_rry Christmas!"

"_Ugh_, Chat!" Ladybug exclaims after him when he jumps off the balcony. She smiles at the Cesaire family and greets them a Merry Christmas as well before following after her rival. She finally catches up to him, letting go of her yoyo to run by his side.

"Are you going to tell me what your plan is or not?" Ladybug asks tiredly.

"Fine, fine. I'll tell you on the way," Chat Noir laughs as the two heroes make their way to the Eiffel Tower. "And… ugh, I can't believe I'm saying this, but…"

Ladybug looks at him hopefully.

"I might… need a bit of your help."

At this, Ladybug's face lights up, and Chat Noir is convinced that her smile is bright enough to light up all of Paris. But her smile immediately makes him think of his mother, and his stomach churns uncomfortably.

"Really?" Ladybug beams.

"Don't make such a big deal out of it," Chat Noir says, jumping onto the next roof.

Ladybug can't wipe the smile off her face, and she can only laugh as she chases after her rival.

* * *

Santa Claws is flying by the Eiffel Tower when something suddenly catches his eye. He approaches the object cautiously, face expressing both surprise and confusion.

"A present?" Santa Claws asks out loud, taking in the sight of the gift before him. It's wrapped in shiny charcoal paper and flashy green ribbons, and it's hanging off the tower thanks to Ladybug's yoyo string.

"It's for you."

The villain looks past the gift to see Chat Noir standing on the edge of the tower, and Ladybug standing a little further away, holding onto her yoyo to keep the gift from falling.

"For me?" Santa Claws repeats, holding his hands out to reach for the gift.

"That's right," Chat Noir nods. "Everyone deserves a present for Christmas."

Just as Santa Claws is about to reach it, Chat Noir turns to Ladybug and nods. The superheroine lets her yoyo loose, making the gift head straight for the ground.

"Oh, no! It fell!" Chat Noir exclaims dramatically, pointing at the falling gift.

"My present!" Santa Claws exclaims, turning his sleigh around to chase after it.

Seeing as his plan worked, Chat Noir rushes over to Ladybug, who pulls him close to swing the two of them to the bottom of the Eiffel Tower as quickly as possible.

Santa Claws fails to reach the gift box before it hit the ground, getting off his sleigh to see if it's all right. He lifts the top open to check, and his facial expression instantly turns into one of rage when he realizes that there's nothing inside.

"Did you really think you can make a fool out of me?!" Santa Claws yells into the air. He catches sight of Chat Noir and Ladybug swinging over in his direction, and quickly takes off to get back into his sleigh.

"Oh no you don't. You're going to watch out for my hand, My Lady," Chat Noir teases, and Ladybug nods, ignoring the stupid nickname he gave her months ago. "CATACLYSM!"

The black cat superhero touches the Eiffel Tower as they're swinging by, causing a dozen of rails to break off and crush Santa Claws' sleigh. The villain stops in his tracks, not knowing what his next course of action should be. His hat is suddenly pulled right off his head, and he instinctively grabs the top of his head.

"My hat!" Santa Claws exclaims.

"Sorry, Santa," Chat Noir says, ripping the item in hat. "But I need my point."

A black butterfly flutters out of the broken item, and Chat Noir extends his silver staff when a bright green sphere glows at the tip. He twirls it around impressively before leaping up and skillfully trapping the akuma inside the green orb, which glows brightly when he hits the other end of his staff against the ground. When the light disappears, a white butterfly flies out of it instead of a black one.

"Bye bye, little butterfly," Chat Noir says to make fun of Ladybug, who glares at him from where she stands. "MIRACULOUS CHAT!"

Chat Noir raises his staff as high as he can, and a burst of light emerges from it, sending a wave of magic and warmth as it restores everything to its former glory.

A purple cloud envelops Santa Claws, turning him back into the same old man Adrien met earlier that day.

"What happened?" Santa Claus asks. He then backs away at the sight of Ladybug, fearfully saying, "Get away from me! You were the one who knocked me right off my sleigh earlier!"

"And I apologize," Ladybug says, holding a hand to her chest. "I thought you were akumatized at the time. Please forgive me."

"Oh, alright. I appreciate you admitting your mistakes. You're forgiven," Santa Claus smiles.

A warning beep suddenly resounds, making Ladybug and Santa Claus look up at Chat Noir.

"Looks like I'm about to de-transform," Chat Noir says. "I'm sorry for everything, Santa."

"Sorry? No need to be sorry, Boy," he says with a jolly tone. "If I'm talking to two heroes, that must mean you saved me. Thank you."

With a nod, Chat Noir extends his staff to leap onto a roof, and he disappears behind a tall building in the distance.

"I should be going, too," Ladybug says, spinning her yoyo in her hands. "Merry Christmas, Santa."

"Wait, Miss," the old man says. He then takes off his hat, and Ladybug nearly falls backwards when she realizes that it's the hat she made for Adrien.

"Wh-where did you get this hat?" she asks, pointing a shaky finger at it.

"Do you remember the boy I was with earlier?" Santa Claus asks. "The one with blond hair, and maybe a dressed a little too light for winter?"

"A-Adrien?" Ladybug asks.

"Yes, him," the man nods. He then presents the hat to her, and says, "Please give it back to him. He said that a very special friend gave it to him. I just can't bring myself to keep it."

"Oh, yes, I-I'll give it back to him," Ladybug says, her cheeks turning pink upon hearing that Adrien considers her a special friend. They argue all the time and call each names every day, but she does admit that if those things were to stop, she'd miss them greatly.

"Thank you," Santa Claus says, climbing back into his sleigh.

"Um, Sir? If you don't mind answering, why did Adrien give this to you?" Ladybug asks.

"He said that the friend would want me to have it, that everyone deserves a little something for Christmas," the man says. "If you ask me, his friend sounds like a wonderful person."

"Thank you," Ladybug says absent-mindedly. She then goes back to twirling her yoyo, throwing it into the sky and latching it onto a nearby building. "I'll be sure to bring this back to him."

* * *

Adrien stands next to his father, whose eyes are kept glued to the portrait of his mother. They stand in silence, until Gabriel decides to break the ice.

"Adrien," he begins, his voice stern and cold as always. "You understand I can't have you disappearing like that. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you."

"I'm sorry, Father," Adrien says, head hung low. "I was just hoping for some company since it's Christmas. I didn't think you were going to join us."

"I'm sorry for making you wait," Gabriel says. "It's our first Christmas without your mother."

"Don't worry," Adrien says. "It's hard for me, too. I was just hoping for you to be there for me."

The doorbell suddenly resounds all over the room.

Nathalie opens the door and steps into the office. "It's for you, Adrien," she says.

Gabriel and Adrien walk over to the entrance of the mansion to find the door wide open revealing Adrien's classmates and their parents.

"I informed everyone that Adrien was home safe and sound, Sir. They were all worried about their friend," Nathalie says, and Adrien smiles brightly at the sight of all his friends. He smiles even wider when he sees Marinette in the crowd.

"Can they spend Christmas with us, Father? Please?" Adrien asks.

"Of course," Gabriel says. "Come on in, everyone."

Nathalie leads them all into the dining area, where they each set a meal or dessert on the table. Adrien scans the crowd and hurriedly takes the seat next to Marinette.

"I'm surprised you actually came," Adrien says when he catches her attention.

"Like everyone else here, I was worried," Marinette says, making his heart swell.

"Thanks," Adrien says.

"You're not going to tease me?" Marinette asks.

"It's Christmas," he says. "I'll lay off the teasing just for today."

Marinette laughs. "Alright, but only for today," she says.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Merry Christmas, Adrien!" everyone at the table exclaims before proceeding to eat the food.

"And Merry Christmas to you all," Adrien smiles.

While everyone chats with each other animatedly, Adrien looks over at his family's portrait hanging on the wall, and his heart doesn't drop as he expected it to. Instead, he just looks at his mother's face, and smiles.

"Merry Christmas, Mom."

* * *

Later that evening, Adrien's in his room, preparing to get into bed, when hears something tap his window. He walks over to it and looks down, surprised to see Ladybug on the ground holding a bag in her hand.

"Ladybug?" Adrien asks, opening his window to let her in. Ladybug's yoyo comes flying in not too long after, latching onto his foosball table's leg. She comes flying into his room not too long after.

"Adrien, I have a delivery for you," Ladybug says, handing him the bag. "Santa Claus said that he wants you to keep it. And I found the other little thing while looking for you when you disappeared. I thought you might have wanted to keep it."

"Oh, thank you," Adrien says. He looks into the bag, shocked to find the card and Santa Claus hat from Marinette. "I gave this to Santa Claus, though."

"He said that he'd rather you keep it," Ladybug says. She then nervously laughs, "Apparently, you said something about a special friend giving it to you?"

"Oh… right," Adrien says, his ears turning pink. "Well, um, thank you, Ladybug. Sorry for all the trouble."

"No problem," Ladybug says. "Merry Christmas!"

With that, she leaps out the window, and she's gone just as quickly as she came.

"Hey, you got your stuff back!" Plagg exclaims, flying out of his user's pocket. "You know, you really should be taking care of your stuff more. Especially when they're from the girl you like."

"Yeah, I really should—" Adrien stops, and his face turns crimson red upon realizing what his kwami just said. "Don't say things like that so casually!"

"Why not? It's the truth," Plagg teases.

"I'm going to sleep," Adrien says, walking off to head to his bed.

"You didn't deny it."

"_Plagg_!"

* * *

The following evening, Chat Noir and Ladybug meet up for patrol as usually. After going around the city twice, they decide to go sit at their favorite spot, at the very top platform of the Eiffel Tower.

"Did you have a nice Christmas, Chat Noir?" Ladybug asks.

"I did," Chat Noir says, smiling at the not-so-faraway memory. "I spent it with my family and friends."

"So did I," Ladybug says. "It was tons of fun."

"Hey, since it's Christmas and all," Chat Noir says, unclipping something from his belt. "I kind of got you something."

"You did?" Ladybug asks, excitedly clutching the tote bag she brought along with her. "I did, too."

"I know that we're rivals and all, but we've been fighting together for a while now, so I thought that it's only right I get you something," Chat Noir says, giving her the little box.

It's clumsily wrapped in red paper, and he may have gone overboard with the curly ribbons, but Ladybug loves it nonetheless. She rips off the paper and opens up the box, gasping at the sight of the little snow globe resting on top of black, plush velvet. Inside the sphere is a figure of a ladybug sitting on a little black cat's head. She takes it out of the box and shakes it, making little snow-like crystals fly around before piling up at the bottom once more.

"Thank you, Chat," Ladybug says, hugging the gift. "I love it."

"You're a pretty simple person, aren't you?" Chat Noir says with a laugh. "It's a very common gift."

Ladybug just stays quiet and looks down at the gift with sparkles in her eyes. What he doesn't realize is that she just received a gift from the person she likes; of course she'd react in such a way.

"Here's your gift," Ladybug says, carefully placing her gift next to her. She then reaches into the tote bag she brought along and takes out a little gift wrapped in yellow paper and topped with a pretty blue ribbon.

Chat Noir takes the gift and rips the paper off, gasping when he sees black mittens with a beautiful white snowflake design on it. "Mittens?" he asks out loud.

"I… made them," Ladybug says, looking down at her hands shyly.

"You _made_ them?" Chat Noir says. "Hate to admit it, but you're actually pretty talented. I didn't expect a klutz like you to be so good at something like this."

"Thanks a lot," Ladybug huffs, making her rival laugh.

"I'm kidding. I really like them," Chat Noir says, holding them tightly in his hands. "Thanks, Ladybug. Merry Christmas."

"You're welcome, Chat," she smiles. "Merry Christmas to you, too."

_end card_

* * *

**A/N:** Hi, everyone! It's taken a while, but I'm back with Season 2 of _Who Needs Love?_ I've been asked many times if I was going to be writing for Season 2, and although my answers were no at first, I changed my mind and went straight to working on Season 2 _and_ Season 3. I just loved the idea of our two lovebirds being rivals, and with Luka and Kagami now added into the mix, I feel like it'll make things a lot more interesting. (Also, ongoing gag about Alya _still_ not being able to film Chat Noir capturing an akuma. The Miraculous Chat is suffering!).

I couldn't make them sing in this episode because I'm technically not allowed to use lyrics. I also found it a bit too awkward, so I just turned everything into text. I also made a few changes this episode, with Adrien getting Marinette's gift back being the biggest one. I really did hope for him to get it back by the end of the episode.

**For the new readers, here's the AU in fuller detail:**  
\- In this AU, Adrien and Marinette don't get along and claim that they both dislike each other (or so they say).  
\- Ladybug and Chat Noir are rivals as well. However, they aren't afraid to help each other out from time to time. Chat Noir wants to stay rivals, while Ladybug—even though he comes across as a jerk sometimes—would actually like to be partners with him.  
\- Reverse crush AU. Adrien/Chat Noir likes Marinette, and Marinette/Ladybug likes Chat Noir.  
\- Chat Noir is also able to capture akumas. This is so that they both have an equal chance of saving the day and de-akumatizing victims. Since the Ladybug earrings and the Black Cat ring are the most powerful Miraculous, I made it so that the ring is also able to capture akumas.  
\- There is also a rivalry between fans: Team Ladybug and Team Chat Noir. Alya is the admin of both the LadyBlog and the Miraculous Chat. Both blogs have a tally board that shows how many akumas Ladybug and Chat Noir caught.  
\- Ladybug still has the power to create, and Chat still has the power to destroy. Chat Noir does not have Lucky Charm—he only has Cataclysm.  
\- Ladybug and Chat Noir catch akumas off screen too, but in this AU, they do not. All the villains introduced in the show will be the only akumatized victims in this story. (This is so that the tally board won't jump numbers each chapter).

If you haven't read _Who Needs Love?_ yet, I really do suggest that you do. I will be making a few callbacks here and there in this story.

**Akuma Capture:  
Ladybug: 0  
Chat Noir: 1**

Thank you for reading!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

_Next Episode: The Collector_


	2. The Collector: Dark Wings Rising

**Who Needs You?**

_Episode 01_

The Collector: Dark Wings Rising

"Are you sure this is the right place?"

Clutching his father's book in his hands, Adrien stands before a closed door he isn't so sure he should go through. Plagg insisted that they go here, that it was someplace of extreme importance, but the last thing Adrien expected to find was a Massage Shop hidden between two larger buildings in the emptier part of the city.

"If it isn't, at least you get a massage?" Plagg smiles sheepishly, and Adrien just glares at him.

Adrien gently knocks on the door.

There's silence. And then—

"Come in."

Adrien slowly opens the door to see an old man sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, meditating peacefully with closed eyes. Adrien takes in his appearances; he's fairly short, his back slightly bent from old age, with gray hair on his head, and a gray beard and mustache. The old man then opens his eyes, revealing hazelnut eyes that look proud, relieved, and worn out all at the same time.

"I've been expecting you, Chat Noir."

Adrien enters the room, and shuts the door behind him.

"Master," Plagg says, flying out of Adrien's pocket. "I know you told me that I shouldn't ever bring him here, but… we have to show you what we found."

"Wait, I know you," Adrien says, approaching him. "You're the old man I helped on the first day of school."

"And believe it or not, that wasn't a chance meeting," the old man says. "You're always ready to help people, Adrien. Even when you're faced with your own problems, you always put others' needs before your own. I knew at that very moment that you'd make the perfect Chat Noir."

"But… who are _you_?" Adrien asks.

The old man stands up, guiding Adrien to the gramophone sitting on top of a wooden cabinet. Adrien watches as he presses his thumbs against the red eyes of the two dragons swirling at the very front of the gramophone's boxed area. A little rectangle marked with Chinese characters drops down, revealing a set of buttons. The old man presses three out of nine, making the object open up to reveal a wooden, octagonal-shaped box with intricate red detailing on its top surface.

"Master Fu is the last known member of the Order of the Guardians," Plagg explains.

"Guardians of the Miraculous," a different voice adds.

A little turtle kwami flies out of the gramophone's horn, and floats right above Master Fu's head. "My name is Wayzz. I'm Master Fu's kwami," it introduces. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Adrien."

"Likewise," Adrien says with a smile.

"We Guardians are responsible for protecting and distributing the Miraculous, for the good of all humanity," Master Fu explains as he takes the mysterious box off the gramophone.

He opens it up, revealing a beautifully detailed jewellery holder similarly shaped as a flower. Sitting in the very middle is a circle fashioned to look like yin and yang. However, instead of the usual black and white circle, it's replaced with a ladybug and cat paw. It's clear to Adrien that that's where the Ladybug Earrings and Black Cat Ring are meant to be.

The petals of the flower hold different colors: orange for the Fox Necklace, yellow for the Bee Comb, violet for the Butterfly Brooch, blue for the Peacock Pin, and green for the Turtle Bracelet. Only the Fox Necklace and Bee Comb Miraculous rest safely in the box.

"We are chosen in childhood and trained for many years for this mission," Master Fu says. He then pauses, and hesitates before continuing, "When we were much, much younger, we... _I_ made a terrible mistake. The Guardians' Temple was destroyed, all because of me. Two of the Miraculous were lost that day: the Butterfly Brooch and the Peacock Pin. The Ancient Spellbook was lost as well."

"This?" Adrien asks, opening up the book he took from his father. "I thought it was just a book of old superheroes and strange symbols."

"Not strange to a Guardian," Master Fu says, shutting the Miraculous Box closed. "Back then, I was never given the opportunity to even have a look at it, but I've been taught enough to be able to partially decipher the code."

Adrien hands the old man the book, who thanks him upon receiving it.

"These pages contain various spells capable of giving Ladybug and Chat Noir special abilities we haven't known about, until now. This book is invaluable," he says, flipping through the pages.

Master Fu walks over to his short-legged table, placing the book face-up on top of it. He invites Adrien to take a seat, while he fetches his boiling teapot and pours a cup of hot oolong tea for the two of them. Master Fu sets the tea on the table, and he sits next to the blond so that they can look through the book together.

"I've always believed that whoever possessed this Spellbook must also have the Butterfly and the Peacock Miraculous."

Adrien visibly pales.

"You mean…" Adrien chokes. "Whoever owned the Spellbook could be Hawkmoth?"

"Precisely."

Adrien nearly staggers backwards as he recalls finding this very book in his father's belongings. His world starts spinning, his heart starts pumping rapidly, his stomach twists and turns in discomfort.

Could his father be… Hawkmoth?

Could that explain why he's so cold and distant? Why he's never home? Why he asked about his _ring_?

_"I never noticed your ring before," Gabriel Agreste says, grabbing his son's hand to take a better look at the silver ring._

_"Is that the only thing you've never noticed about me?" Adrien frowns, pulling his hand away._

_His father's face hardens. "I'm glad everything worked out for the best," he says before exiting his room. He gently shuts the door behind him, and Adrien is left in silence once again._

"Adrien," Master Fu says, failing to notice the blond's inner turmoil. "Where did you find this book?"

"I found it…" Adrien begins. "…o-on my way home. Underneath some leaves, twigs, and garbage."

Plagg looks at his user with wide eyes, but he doesn't say a word. Normally, he would, but he _knows_ Adrien—and he knows he isn't a liar. It _has_ to be for good cause.

"You didn't see who it belonged to, then?" Master Fu asks.

Adrien shakes his head. "No. I'm sorry," he says quietly.

"What a shame," Master Fu says, shutting the book out of the frustration. "For a moment, I thought we were about to discover Hawkmoth's identity. We would've had a chance to defeat him."

"I can go investigate, if you'd like," Adrien offers.

"And I will keep the Spellbook for now. But remember, you must be very careful, Adrien," Master Fu warns, carefully placing the Spellbook on the table. "If you succeed, you and Ladybug may very well find yourselves face to face with Hawkmoth."

"Why worry about Ladybug?" Adrien asks. "You can count on me, and only me. I can defeat Hawkmoth on my own."

"Maybe you can, maybe you cannot," Master Fu says. "There's a reason why the Ladybug's and Chat Noir's of the past ultimately ended up teaming up, even if they were self-proclaimed rivals just like you two."

"Maybe we'll be the first ones to break tradition," Adrien says, making Master Fu laugh.

"We'll see," the old man says with a smile. "But I choose my Ladybug's and Chat Noir's very wisely. Believe it or not, you two are made for each other."

* * *

"Made for each other?"

Adrien grimaces as he walks out of the Massage Shop with Plagg poking his head right out of his inner breast pocket.

"Forget about that," Plagg says, making Adrien trip at his kwami's rare seriousness. "Why did you lie to Master Fu?"

"I couldn't tell him that my father was the one who had the book," Adrien says, feeling his panic attack gradually returning. "He can't be Hawkmoth! I refuse to believe it!"

"What if he is?"

This question alone makes Adrien stop in his tracks. The blond looks down at his feet with a heavy heart, thinking about how painful it would be for him to discover that his father is a super-villain whose enemies are Ladybug… and his own son.

"I don't want to think about it," Adrien mutters quietly. "Let's go home."

The walk home is long and silent. Plagg tries to lift up the mood by making jokes or starting conversations to get Adrien's mind off of it, but one look at his user's clenched fists is enough to make him give up.

Adrien finally makes it home and opens his front door to find Nathalie standing at the entrance with her arms behind her back as usual.

"Your father would like to speak to you, Adrien," she says, turning around to lead Adrien up the stairs.

Adrien immediately takes notice of the tablet in her hands, and he gulps fearfully.

It can't be good.

Nathalie leads him into his room, where his father stands in front of the window, staring into the distance. Adrien can see in the reflection of the window that his father isn't just angry, but _furious_. Adrien sits on his computer desk's chair and looks down at his hands, ready to get yelled at; he has an idea of how the conversation is going to go already.

"Why did you take the book?"

"The… book?" Adrien repeats nervously.

Nathalie steps up with her tablet and turns it on to reveal screenshots of Adrien stealing what he now knows as the Guardians' Spellbook. Adrien sinks deeper into his chair the more his father's assistant swipes through her tablet, but he sinks even deeper when his father turns away from the window to give him a look that screams both anger and disappointment.

"I... just wanted to know what you were hiding behind that portrait that was so important. You never told me about those things," Adrien says truthfully. He then looks away to avoid eye contact and lies, "I was intending to give it back to you, but… I lost it."

"How can I possibly trust you again, Adrien?" Gabriel asks, turning his back to him like he always does.

"I'm sorry... I'll get you another copy," Adrien offers.

"_Impossible_, it's one of a kind!" his father explodes. "That book is the source of my inspiration."

"I didn't know that. I hardly know anything about you, Father," Adrien replies.

Gabriel goes silent, making Adrien grow more and more worried as the seconds tick by. He looks up from the floor to see his father's fists clenched.

"You will not be returning to school," he finally says, making Adrien's eyes grow wide in horror. "You will be home-schooled again, with Nathalie."

"But Father—!"

"My word is final."

With that, Gabriel and Nathalie walk out of the room, leaving a distressed Adrien behind.

* * *

Marinette walks into class that afternoon to find her classmates standing around the little staircase near Mme Bustier's desk. Confused, she approaches the crowd and looks past them to find Chloe crying hysterically and Sabrina patting her hand to comfort her.

"What's going on here?" Marinette asks.

"What's going on here?!" Chloe repeats, pointing at her phone. "Have you not heard?! Adrien isn't coming back to school!"

"Is he on vacation?" Nino asks. He's been in Chloe's class for years now; this could just be one of her overly dramatic outbursts again.

"No, you idiot!" she screams. "Adrien's back to being _home-schooled_!"

"Home-schooled?" Marinette whispers in shock.

She and Adrien don't get along, and she knows that, but she can't help but feel slightly _betrayed_ that she didn't hear about it at all. He and Chloe have been friends for years so naturally, she _should_ be one of the first to know, but what about her?

They may claim to hate each other's guts, but at the end of the day, Marinette still considered him a close friend.

"Marinette, are you all right?" Alya asks, and Marinette only realizes right then and there that her best friend was standing next to her this whole time.

"Me? I'm fine," Marinette says, though the feeling of betrayal never leaves. "Did you know about this?"

Alya shakes her head. "I didn't get anything from him," she says. "Neither did Nino."

"I hope he's all right," Nino chimes in. "I hope we hear from him soon."

"I don't want to hear from him at all," Marinette says, making her two friends look at her in absolute shock. She clenches her fists, feeling both angry and sad to find out that he didn't inform them about his leaving.

"What are you saying, Marinette?" Alya asks in disbelief.

"He didn't think to tell us about something so important, and instead just decided to tell Chloe?" Marinette asks. "Aren't _we_ his friends, too?"

Alya and Nino take a glance at each other before turning back to their friend.

"I know we argue all the time, but I would've at least liked a goodbye text," Marinette says sadly. She then turns away and looks down angrily, "Oh, forget it. He'll always be a jerk."

With that, she runs out of the classroom, failing to hide the frown on her face.

Marinette runs through the school hallways to get to the girl's washroom, dodging students and teachers on her way there. She forcefully pushes the door open, and she locks herself inside one of the stalls so that she can exchange a few words with her kwami.

"Adrien's gone?" Tikki asks in a shock, and Marinette nods in response.

"And he didn't tell anyone," she says. "Only Chloe."

"Marinette," the little ladybug begins, flying up to her user's eye-level. "I know you're going to miss him—"

"_Miss him_?" Marinette repeats with a scoff and looks away.

"—but you don't know why that happened."

Marinette turns to face Tikki, her face no longer showing anger, hurt and disappointment, but instead curiosity, guilt and realization.

"Maybe something horrible happened at home," Tikki reasons. "Even though you two say that you hate each other, it's still very clear that you care for one another. If he knew that there was absolutely _no way_ for him to get out of being home-schooled, he definitely would've messaged you. Since he didn't, he probably believes that there's a way he can fix it. He's probably even working on it right now."

"You're right…" Marinette sighs. "Knowing Chloe, she probably bugged him until he gave in."

"Exactly," Tikki says. "He'll be back, I just know it."

* * *

Adrien buries his face in his hands; taking that book was such a _stupid_ move. He should've just left it where it was.

But then again, it _was_ an important book that originally belonged to Master Fu. It was only right to bring it back to its true owner.

"You told Chloe?" Plagg asks, lying his back on top of his user's head.

"She spammed my inbox. I eventually gave up and just told her," Adrien replies, scrolling through his contact list.

A certain black-haired girl in pigtails catches his eye, and he scrolls back up, chuckling at the silly picture he took of Marinette when making fun of her. (She did _not_ appreciate it. At all.)

Adrien taps Marinette's contact photo, and the name _Klutz_ along with her contact information pop up onscreen. His thumb hovers over the messaging icon, and he wonders if he should at least let her know that he wouldn't be returning to school…

"Are you going to tell her?"

Adrien makes a jump, nearly knocking his kwami right off his head.

"_Plagg_!" Adrien shouts. "Don't scare me like that!"

"What?" Plagg replies. "I was just asking if you were going to tell her."

"How I feel?!" Adrien exclaims in horror.

"No, that you're now home-schooled. But that works, too," Plagg shrugs.

Adrien sighs in response, shoving his phone back into his pocket, and he gets out of his seat to play some foosball, hoping it would distract him for a little while. But he soon realizes that that's not so easily done with a kwami named Plagg.

"Look on the bright side, kid," Plagg says, flying over to the foosball table to sit above a goalie net. "Your father could've found out about me. It's a good thing we kwamis can never be filmed or photographed."

"I have to ask Master Fu for that book back," Adrien says. "It's the only way for me to go back to school."

"Are you crazy?!" Plagg exclaims. "Do you hear yourself right now?! Not only does no homework sound fantastic, but you did the right thing by giving it back to Master Fu."

"You don't get it, Plagg," Adrien says, letting go of the levers. "Going to public school made me so _happy_. I don't want to throw it all away because I went snooping around."

"Adrien, don't think like that. Master Fu just told us he chose _you_ as Chat Noir because you always put others before yourself," Plagg reminds.

"And there might not even be a Chat Noir anymore if I don't get that book back either," Adrien says. "Do you realize what I've done?! My father will tighten up security; there's no _way_ I'll be able to get out of this house to fight akuma anymore."

Plagg blanches. "Oh," he says. "You have a point."

"Master Fu can always find another Chat Noir, but I don't want to be replaced," Adrien frowns. "I _want_ to be Chat Noir. I _want_ to save people."

"I half-expected you to say something about wanting to be the hero instead of Ladybug, but I was wrong," Plagg says, flying over to his user's head to pat it. "You've finally matured. Good job."

"I don't know if I should be offended or not."

Suddenly, a loud crash from downstairs makes Adrien jump up in alarm. He sprints out of his room and down the stairs, meeting Gorilla on the way, only to find Nathalie standing guard in front of his father's office.

"What was that?!" Adrien exclaims.

"Your father is very busy," is all Nathalie says. She then looks over at Gorilla with her usual poker face and asks, "Shouldn't Adrien be practicing piano right now?"

Gorilla nods silently, and escorts a frowning Adrien back up into his room. The blond enters it, and he closes the door behind him before making his way over to the couch.

"Maybe some tv will get your mind off of everything," Plagg says, flying over to the tv remote. He presses the power button, and the news pops up onscreen. Nadja Chamack is the reporter as always, sitting comfortably in a plush chair with some papers in hand.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news. I'm Nadja Chama—"

Adrien jumps up and rubs his eyes when a notebook comes flying out of nowhere, making the woman disappear in thin air. The camera then pans over to a man with violet skin, attire painted violet, black and red, and large glasses with lenses tinted crimson.

"Since the book that used to fill my life is gone, I'm going to use your life to fill up this new one!" the villain says before swiping the screen with his notebook again, making the channel go static.

"An akumatized victim!" Adrien exclaims, jumping out of his seat. He grabs another remote on the table and pushes a button, making one of his windows open up. "Plagg, let's go!"

"What happened to being grounded?" Plagg smirks.

"If this is really going to be my last mission as Chat Noir," Adrien says, eyes full of determination. "Then I want to be remembered as a hero and capture that akuma."

"Now, _that's_ the Chat Noir Master Fu chose," Plagg cheers, making a loop in the air.

"PLAGG, TRANSFORM ME!"

* * *

Ladybug stands on a rooftop, wondering what her next course of action should be. While trying to come up with a plan, a shadow looms over her, and she turns around to find none other than Chat Noir. She immediately notices something wrong when she looks at him—despite his teasing smirk, she can see tired eyes, shaky hands, slumped shoulders. He looks nothing like the confident Chat Noir she knows.

"My Lady," he winks. "Fancy meeting you up here."

"Chat, are you all right?" Ladybug asks, eyebrow raised. "You look a little off today."

"I'm _purr_fect," Chat Noir replies with a smile that's all too fake. "Just a little excited to get another point."

She can tell that he doesn't want to talk about it, and pushes no further. There's an akumatized victim on the loose, and they need to save him before Paris gets printed on The Collector's pages.

"Any idea who The Collector might be?" Ladybug asks, and she notices Chat Noir's smile drop in an instant.

"I have a hunch," he says quietly. "Gabriel Agreste."

Ladybug nearly falls off the roof. "The fashion designer?!" she exclaims, heart sinking for her favorite designer. "Got any proof?"

"It's a little hard to explain," Chat Noir says, turning his back to her.

He extends his silver staff, ready to take off, when he suddenly stops himself. He clutches his staff a little tighter before turning around to face his rival once more.

"Hey, Ladybug," he says, grabbing all of her attention. "After today's mission… I can't say what comes next. You might still get this Chat Noir, or a completely different one."

"What are you trying to say?" Ladybug asks in confusion.

"If I can't fix things," Chat Noir says with a sad smile. "You've been a great rival."

With that, he extends his staff further and pole-vaults himself off the roof to land onto the one three buildings over. Ladybug watches him leap from one roof to the other afterwards, feeling her heart drop and break into pieces.

If she heard correctly, Chat Noir just said that he may not be returning after today's mission.

First, she loses Adrien in her normal life. And now, she loses Chat Noir in her superhero one.

Her mind is buzzing with all kinds of questions, but she pushes them aside for now. She can't risk getting her feelings in the way and messing up throughout this mission. Chat Noir said that Gabriel Agreste is his prime suspect—so, if that's the case, then she'll just have to do some investigating in his own home.

Ladybug throws her yoyo into the air, and she yanks it so that it carries her with the wind. She hurriedly makes her way over to the Agreste mansion, jumping right through an open window and into Gabriel Agreste's office.

It's a complete mess, with shattered statues, ripped papers, and broken home décor littered all over the floor. She notices something lying on the floor a few steps away, and she approaches it to find a framed drawing that his son must've done when he was around five years old. It was of their family holding hands; Gabriel Agreste, his late wife, and his son Adrien.

"Where's Gabriel Agreste?!"

Ladybug jumps up at the sound of Chat Noir's voice, and she rushes out of the room to find her rival in a defensive stance at the bottom of the stairs, while the Collector stands at the very top with an evil smirk on his face.

"There is no more Gabriel Agreste," the akumatized victim shouts. "There is only the Collector!"

The Collector launches his weapon at Chat Noir, who easily dodges it with a couple of backflips. The book instead hits the front door, making it disappear, before making a boomerang effect to try to hit him again. The book, however, changes its course and starts heading straight for an oblivious Ladybug.

"_Hey, watch out_!" Chat Noir screams, tackling his rival. The book makes its way back into The Collector's hands, who laughs maniacally upon seeing the stress on his enemies faces.

"Are you trying to get us trapped in that book?!" Chat Noir yells, getting up. "Look, if you're just going to be causing trouble, stay out of this."

"I'm not trying to cause any trouble at all!" Ladybug screams back.

The Collector jumps to the bottom of the stairs, sending his book flying around the room as he goes against Ladybug and Chat Noir with hand-to-hand combat. He increasingly grows frustrated when he realizes that they are not intimated by him at all, but instead more invested in their own heated argument. And yet, they _still_ manage to block each of his attacks _and_ the flying book.

"How am I supposed to react to you saying that you might not return after today's mission?!"

"I don't know, welcome the next Chat Noir with open arms?"

"Well, maybe I will! I already know he'll be much better than you!"

"_Excuse me_?!"

"He'll probably be a lot more skilled in fighting, a lot nicer, and not a huge jerk like you!"

"_Oh, yeah_?! Well, then it's a win-win for both of us! I won't have to deal with anymore of your clumsiness!"

"_Hey_—!"

"I'll trap you both in my book so that no one has to ever hear you two argue again!" The Collector interrupts, grabbing his weapon from the air to try to hit either of them on his own.

"This isn't over," Ladybug says, before sprinting into the large dining area.

Chat Noir follows shortly after, throwing chairs at the villain with all his might to try to get him to back off. The Collector barely flinches at the attacks, merely swiping his book at any item thrown his way to make them disappear.

When Chat Noir runs out of chairs to throw, he decides to continue with hand-to-hand combat by targeting The Collector's wrist. If he can hit him hard enough to make him drop the book, then it'll be an instant win for Team Chat.

He, however, miscalculates his move and gets kicked in the stomach, sending flying across the room. Seeing The Collector making his way towards him, Chat Noir backs up slowly and panics when he realizes he's been backed into a corner of the dining area. He shields his arms in front of him, ready to be wiped out of existence, when The Collector makes a surprise gasp and falls forward, just _barely_ missing Chat Noir's foot. The superhero quickly makes an escape by making a flip and landing right next to Ladybug, whose yoyo is tied around The Collector's boot.

"Uh… thanks," Chat Noir says, scratching the back of his head.

Ladybug opens her mouth to answer him, when the string in her hands suddenly disappear, making her fall forward. Chat Noir stifles his laughter when she falls to the floor, earning him a death glare from the fallen girl.

"My collection's growing!" The Collector exclaims, performing a kip-up to get right back on his feet.

Chat Noir and Ladybug run back out into the hall and up the stairs to try to look for someplace to hide. The former decides that his room is probably their safest bet for now.

"The akuma has to be in that book," Ladybug says as they rush up the stairs.

"Oh, I definitely couldn't have guessed that," Chat Noir says sarcastically, making his rival roll her eyes.

The two make it to Adrien's room, and immediately barricade the door with his arcade machine, couch, desk chair, couch, and table. This will make it much harder for the The Collector to go through since he'll have a lot of things to add to his book before getting to them.

"Gabriel Agreste's son isn't at home?" Ladybug asks, looking around the empty room.

"Maybe the Collector's already captured him," Chat Noir says a little too quickly.

"You think he'd take it out on his own son?" Ladybug gasps, throwing her hands over her mouth.

"You cannot escape from me!"

Chat Noir and Ladybug look over at the door to find that The Collector is slowly making his way into the room. The two heroes take a step back and look around the room, looking for something to defend themselves with. Chat Noir's eyes suddenly lock onto his bookshelves, which are _filled_ with all kinds of movies and video games. An idea suddenly pops into his head.

"Hey, Ladybug," Chat Noir says, eyes kept locked onto the shelves. "No Lucky Charm today, huh?"

"I'm guessing that means you have a plan?" Ladybug groans.

He nods. "I'm going to complete his collection."

Chat Noir onto the room's second floor, while Ladybug continues to throw random objects onto the barricade.

"There you go again with the _I_," Ladybug huffs.

"Because _I'm_ not the one who got their weapon swallowed up," Chat Noir says, sticking his tongue out. He turns around, whispering an apology to his movie and game collection before throwing a hand up in the air.

"CATACLYSM!" he screams as a black, bubbling glow emanates from his right hand. He presses a hand on one of the bookshelves and runs across the entire floor to touch every single one. The shelves crumble all over the floor, leaving only their circular disks behind. Chat Noir picks a handful of them up and fans them out with a grin on his face.

"Did you really think that blocking the door would save you?" The Collector cackles as Ladybug dodges an attack of his.

"No," Chat Noir answers from his place on the second floor, catching the villain's attention. "But I'm sure that doing _this_ will."

He throws disks in The Collector's direction, five at a time, smiling to himself when he sees that the akumatized victim is doing exactly as he had hoped—swiping each and every disk into his book. Ladybug quickly gets what Chat Noir is trying to do, and she rushes up the spiral staircase to help him out.

"We're running out of ammo!" Ladybug cries, struggling to find disks on the floor.

"Huh, I wouldn't have guessed," Chat Noir says, throwing his last set of five.

When Chat Noir and Ladybug fail to retrieve any more, The Collector jumps onto the railings to the second floor, deciding to corner the black cat hero because of all the trouble he's caused. The villain closes in on him, his book wide open and ready to add him to his collection. Chat Noir runs out of options and instead just shields himself with his arms a second time, eyes closed and ready to face defeat. This time, he knows he won't be so lucky.

But then, he feels… something repeatedly being pressed against his arms?

Chat Noir opens his eyes to find The Collector looking through his book with rage-filled eyes.

"It's _full_?!" the villain yells in both horror and disbelief.

Just as he's about to swipe a page clean with his hand, Chat Noir kicks it out of his grasp and performs a flip in the air to fall back onto the first floor. He catches the book, and, being careful not to touch the white pages, Chat Noir rips it in half, where a black butterfly flutters out of it.

He unclips his staff from his belt and catches the akuma, painting it white as snow. As he watches the butterfly fly out the window completely free, he feels his shoulders slump knowing that he may never get to experience freedom again after today's events.

"MIRACULOUS CHAT!" he screams, with a little less excitement than his past captures. Never mind the fact that he got the final point for his possibly final mission—he just wants to continue being Chat Noir.

After the bright, green light fixes everything around them, a violet cloud envelops The Collector and, in his place, lies Gabriel Agreste. Chat Noir rushes over to him and immediately helps him get back up on his feet. Ladybug follows shortly after.

"Are you okay, Sir?" Chat Noir asks worriedly.

"What happened to me?" Gabriel asks, pressing a hand to the side of his head in hopes of easy the painful drumming.

"You were akumatized by Hawkmoth. But don't worry, it's over now," Ladybug smiles.

"Thank you for saving me," he says, giving them both a rare smile. His face then falls, and he lets out a gasp of horror as he looks around the room. "Adrien—where is my son?!"

"He… must be hiding," Chat Noir says, surprised to see his father so worried over him. He's never seen his look so _scared_.

"Chat Noir is right," Ladybug assures. "Otherwise your son would have reappeared right here."

"Nothing must happen to him. He's too precious to me," Gabriel says, placing his hands on Chat Noir's shoulders, who unintentionally tenses up upon contact. Chat Noir looks up the distressed man, trying his very hardest not to smile now that he knows how much his father cares for him.

A warning beep suddenly goes off, and Chat Noir looks down to find that he only has two cat pads left.

"I should go," Chat Noir says.

"Don't worry, Sir. I'm sure your son is safe and sound," Ladybug says, throwing her yoyo out the window and yanking it when it hooks onto the next building.

"Goodbye, Mr. Agreste," Chat Noir says, leaping out of the window after her.

Chat Noir and Ladybug run on rooftops together, and the latter takes in what could possibly be her final moments with him. They've fought akumas for _months_ now, and with it came so many moments she wouldn't trade for the world.

She thinks back to all their missions together, whether as Ladybug _or_ Marinette. She recounts all the many times he's saved her, their heated arguments, their rare moments of peace and quiet. She recalls the nights she spent staying up late to finish up the gifts she made for him, like the chocolates for Valentine's Day and the mittens for Christmas.

And she also thinks back to when she first realized she liked him.

Sure, he's always been a jerk to Ladybug, but to Marinette, he's been nothing but kind. How could she not fall in love?

"Hey, Ladybug."

Ladybug snaps out of her thoughts, only to find Chat Noir no longer running next to her. She stops in her tracks and turns around, to find him a few steps behind, smiling sadly at her.

"I'm still not sure if this is _really_ the end," Chat Noir says, walking closer to her. He then extends his hand out for her to shake. "But if it is… it's been fun."

Ladybug looks down at his hand, feeling her heart drop.

"Does that mean I won't be seeing you for patrol tonight?" Ladybug asks.

"Maybe, maybe not," Chat Noir replies honestly. "I'll do my best to fix things so I can stay Chat Noir, but if not… then let the new guy know I say hi. If you're lucky, he might be willing to be partners with you."

"But he's not you," Ladybug frowns, making Chat Noir ruffle her hair with the hand he had extended.

"Yeah, well, he won't be as big of a jerk as me. I'm not so easily beat," he grins. "No one can _bug_ you as much as I do, after all."

While Chat Noir laughs at his own pun, Ladybug battles with her thoughts, wondering if she should let him know how she feels.

But what if she does confess, and he _does_ come back? It could ruin _everything_.

A warning beep resounds again, and Chat Noir looks down at his ring to find one cat pad left.

"I'm about to transform back," Chat Noir says, making Ladybug look down and hide her teary eyes with her bangs. "See you later, My Lady. If not, don't forget me."

She sees him extend his hand again for her to shake, but she doesn't take it and instead lunges forward to give him a hug. Chat Noir freezes in place, not knowing how to react or what to do. Before he could even lift his arms to hug her back, she lets go, smiling up at him sadly.

"If you do manage to fix things, I'll be waiting for you at the top of the Eiffel Tower as usual," Ladybug says. "If not… then… I should let you know that…"

Ladybug feels her face grow hot as her words become a jumbled mess, and her confession is kicked right out the door. Her confidence shatters when her eyes land on the blinking black ring in Chat Noir's finger, telling herself that there's no way she'll be able to muster up the courage on time.

She sighs, slumping her shoulders in defeat.

"I just… Thank you," Ladybug says. "For everything. It _has_ been fun."

With a nod, Chat Noir turns around, ready to jump off the roof, when Ladybug calls out to him one last time.

"Chat, one last thing," she says, making him turn around once more. "No matter who the next one in line is… you'll always be Chat Noir to me."

He smiles. "And you'll always be clumsy Ladybug to me," he says.

He backflips off the roof, leaving behind a disappointed Ladybug.

She couldn't tell him.

* * *

"The book was your father's?"

Adrien finds himself back at Master Fu's later that afternoon, having decided to tell him the truth about the book and the consequences that came along with it. They're both sitting on the floor, with the short-legged table separating them, and the Miraculous Spellbook resting on top of it.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth, I wasn't sure if I could trust you yet and lied," Adrien answers. "I also couldn't bring myself to accept the fact that my own father could possibly be Hawkmoth."

"Well, since Gabriel Agreste was akumatized, it's very probably that he isn't," Master Fu assures him, making Adrien sigh in relief.

"I also wanted to tell you that I may not be able to continue being Chat Noir," Adrien says, making the old man's eyes widen. "My father was extremely upset with me because I told him I lost the Spellbook. He's making me go back to being home-schooled, meaning that I'm going to be watched all day. There's no way I'll be able to escape so easily anymore to fight akuma."

"I see," Master Fu says, looking down at the Spellbook. "Don't worry, Adrien. There isn't a single problem that can't be solved."

Master Fu reaches into his pocket, and Adrien falls back, thinking he's going to take out a magical item of sorts that can help solve everything—

—but instead, he just takes out his cellphone.

"These modern inventions really are quite incredible," Master Fu says, flipping the book open and taking a picture of the first page. He continues to do this for the next two hundred pages or so while Adrien watches with a laugh.

Once done, Master Fu shuts the book and hands it back to Adrien.

"Now that you've 'found the book'," he says. "Hopefully, your father will reconsider his decision."

"It's no guarantee that he'll let me go back to public school, but it's worth a try," Adrien grins, shoving the book into his bag. "If not, I'll be back to return my ring. Thank you so much for believing in me and choosing me as Chat Noir. I've learned so much."

"Thank you for all your hard work," Master Fu says.

Adrien nods and starts walking towards the door, calling Plagg over while doing so. After disappearing behind the door, Adrien pokes his head back into the room.

"Master?" he asks.

"Yes, Adrien?" Master Fu answers.

"Whoever the next Chat Noir is," he smiles sadly. "I hope you never forget you chose me, too."

"You were my first choice, and it will always stay that way," he says.

Adrien smiles, happily this time. "Oh, and I hope you find a good Chat Noir for Ladybug. Preferably a partner instead of a rival," he says. "I know she'd really like that."

"I'll keep that in mind."

With that, Adrien shuts the door behind him, hoping all will be fixed once he returns the book.

* * *

Adrien stands in front of his father's office with the book in his clutch, gulping nervously as the outcome remains unpredictable. He takes in a deep breath, and he raises his hand to knock on the door.

_Knock, knock_.

"Come in."

Adrien walks into the room to find Gabriel staring at his wife's portrait as always. He slowly approaches his father, clutching the book in his hands even tighter.

"Father," Adrien starts. When he receives no response, he continues, "I found your book."

At this, Gabriel turns around, his usual cold facial expression replaced with one of relief. Adrien gives his father the book, who takes it and immediately puts it back in its place behind Emilie's portrait.

"I found it under my bed. It must've slipped under there when I dropped my bag," Adrien lies. "I shouldn't have taken it without your permission. I'm sorry."

"And I'm sorry I became so furious over a book," Gabriel apologizes. He hesitates, but continues after a few seconds of silence, "That book was the very last gift your mother gave to me before she… disappeared. All I have left of her is this book, and you."

"I understand, Father," Adrien replies, looking down.

"And I know I can't keep the book, or _you_ locked up in this house forever."

Adrien's eyes widen, and he looks up to find his father giving him the smallest of smiles.

"Does that mean you'll let me go back to school, then?" he eagerly asks.

"Yes," Gabriel answers with a nod.

Unable to contain his happiness, Adrien throws his arms around his father. "Thank you, Father!" he exclaims, burying his face in his father's chest.

Gabriel doesn't say another word, and only hugs his son back.

* * *

Marinette walks to school the next morning, scowling as she prepares for another day without Adrien. She hasn't heard from him _at all_. Maybe he never really did consider her a close friend like she always did.

She walks up the stairs and into the building, but upon turning a corner to get to her classroom, she slams right into someone, making her drop all her books.

"O-oh, I'm so sorry, I—" Marinette begins, stopping mid-sentence when she sees _who_ she bumped into.

Adrien picks the fallen books off the floor, putting them into the hands of a surprised Marinette.

"I get back, and you're _still_ as clumsy as ever, huh?" he chuckles. Once it all sinks in, Marinette punches his shoulder. "Ow! Is this really how you're treating me after I just got back?"

"_Yes_, because you didn't think to tell anyone else that you left!" Marinette fumes. "Alya, Nino and I all waited to hear from you! Instead, we had to hear it from _Chloe_!"

"If you really wanted to know, I was working on fixing everything," Adrien argues back. "I didn't want to tell you guys until I was sure that there was no way I was going to be coming back to school. I only told Chloe because she was messaging me nonstop!"

"Oh…" Marinette falters. Tikki _was_ right. "I thought you just… didn't care to tell us. I'm sorry."

"Glad to see you're still jumping to conclusions," Adrien says flatly.

"How else was I supposed to react?" Marinette huffs, walking past him angrily and into the classroom.

Adrien follows in after her while chuckling, and he's instantly surrounded by all of his classmates. He gives each one a hug or a high-five, shy at the fact that everyone was so worried about him. After exchanging a couple of words with each of them, he walks back to his regular seat in front of Marinette, who's already sitting in her spot and scowling at him. After sitting down and placing his bag by his feet, Adrien turns his body around to look up at her.

"Good morning, klutz," he says, as per his usual greeting.

"Good morning, jerk," she says, as per _her_ usual greeting. And then, she smiles, "Welcome back."

* * *

Later that night, Ladybug finds herself sitting all by herself at the top of the Eiffel Tower. She _should_ be going around the city as of now, but something holds her back, telling her to wait just a little bit longer. But it's seventeen minutes past their meet-up time, and she's slowly losing hope.

Maybe today really _was_ Chat Noir's last mission.

"Hey, Ladybug."

Her ears perk up at the voice, and she turns around, grinning ear to ear to find Chat Noir standing on the other side of the platform. He makes his way over to her and sits in his usual spot next to her.

"Sorry I'm late," Chat Noir says. "Just wanted you to miss me a little more."

"Don't make me laugh," Ladybug scoffs. "I'm guessing it all worked out in the end?"

"Can't get rid of me that easily," he grins.

Ladybug suddenly gets up on her feet. "Well then, ready for patrol?" she asks, and Chat Noir gets up on his feet shortly after.

"I'll race you," he says, and Ladybug smiles brighter than she has all day.

"You're on."

_end card_

* * *

**A/N:** I just wanted to clarify that this chapter takes off right after Chapter 28 of _Who Needs Love?_ Chapter 26 and 27 were written as an ending to the story, since I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to write for Season 2 at the time. Since I'm writing it now, just pretend that Chapter 26 and 27 don't exist. I also want to add that the reason why I don't use "Tikki, Spots On!" or "Plagg, Claws Out!" is because I watch the _French_ dub. I usually mix up both the English and French dubs when writing the episodes, but I ultimately prefer the French dub and keep most of their script.

**For those wondering, I will be following _the production order_ of Miraculous Ladybug Season 2. What episode are you most excited for?**

Thank you for reading!

**Akuma Capture:  
Ladybug: 0  
Chat Noir: 2**

_Next Episode: Prime Queen_


	3. Prime Queen: Be Bemused, It's the News

**Who Needs You**?

_Chapter 02_

Prime Queen: Be Bemused, It's the News

"Tonight, for our first edition of _Face to Face_, you'll have the opportunity of a lifetime—the chance to talk live with Ladybug and Chat Noir, along with me, Nadja Chamack. We'll be revealing jaw-dropping secrets about your favorite superheroes. Don't be bemused, it's just the news!"

"Jaw-dropping secrets?" Tikki asks with wide eyes as she floats in front of the computer screen.

"Can you believe it, Tikki?" Marinette asks from her corner of the room. The kwami flies over to its holder to see her sewing two pieces of pink and white polka-dotted fabric together. "An entire hour-long special about me and Chat Noir. Pretty exciting, don't you think?"

"Marinette, you're a super_hero_, not a super_star_," Tikki says. "Everything about you has to remain a mystery to protect yourself from Hawkmoth."

Marinette holds her palms open to let the little ladybug sit on them. "Don't worry, I only accepted this because I want the people of Paris to know that Chat Noir and I will always do whatever it takes to keep them safe," she explains.

"Just be careful tonight, okay?" Tikki asks, floating up from Marinette's hands.

"What do you mean tonight?" she asks, grabbing her phone to look through her calendar. "I have babysitting, the show is tomorrow."

From her monitor at full volume, Nadja Chamack returns onscreen after the commercials. "Don't forget to tune in tonight. _Face to Face_ with Ladybug and Chat Noir!" is the last thing she says before the program ends.

Marinette lets out a shriek, eye twitching as she repeatedly shifts her gaze from her phone to the monitor. She could've _sworn_ the interview was tomorrow.

"Tonight? _Tonight_?" Marinette screeches. "But I have to be there as _Ladybug_!"

"Marinette!" a childish voice suddenly exclaims from beyond her trap door.

"And _that's_ probably why you babysit tonight," Tikki says as she flies right into Marinette's purse.

Marinette shuts her monitor off, and turns around, only to catch Manon, who excitedly jumps into her arms. Nadja Chamack walks up into the room right after.

"Mrs. Chamack," Marinette begins nervously. "I, uh, I just saw that you have a show tonight."

"You did? I hope you do watch it tonight, it's going to be great!" Nadja says, handing her daughter's backpack to Marinette, who places it on her chair. "I've put a bunch of things for her in her bag and she's already had dinner. Thanks again for watching Manon, I'm so glad you were free tonight."

"Uh… right," Marinette sighs. It's too late to back out now—plus, Nadja looks really excited for the show. Marinette would hate to ruin it for her. "I had no other plans. None at all."

"I better get going. I've got a lot writing this interview. I need all of Paris in front of the screen tonight," Nadja says before turning to Manon. "Sweetie, just for tonight, you're allowed to watch some television with Marinette."

"Thanks, mom!" Manon exclaims, climbing onto Marinette's shoulders. "Mommy's going to be on TV with Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

"You'll do great, Mrs. Chamack. Besides, you already have two viewers," Marinette laughs, pointing at Manon and herself.

"Wish me luck and tell all your friends to tune in!" Nadja exclaims as she disappears beyond the trap door.

Manon jumps off of Marinette's shoulders, and runs around the room excitedly chanting about how great tonight's show is going to be. Marinette watches her jump around, having no idea how she can get out of this now. There's no way she can leave Manon all by herself for an entire hour.

With a sigh, Marinette takes her cellphone out and dials the only person who will be able to help her out.

"Uh… Alya? Are you busy tonight?"

* * *

Chat Noir finds himself standing on the roof of the TVi Studio, taking in the beautiful sight of the sun setting in the distance. The sky is a blend of purple and blue and pink, making him sigh in delight at how peaceful the city can be at this time of day.

He takes note of the wide screen hung up on a building nearby, and when it displays the time—showing that he only had fifteen more minutes before showtime—he jumps off the roof. He unclips his staff from his belt and throws it over his shoulder, watching as it extends and sticks right out an open window on the top floor. Chat Noir lands on the staff with his feet and performs a flip, flying right through the window and into the room.

He performs a series of impressive flips in the air before landing perfectly on the couch in front of a nervous news host looking through her tablet.

"Oh, I love chouquettes," Chat Noir says, making his interviewer jump in surprise.

"Chat Noir?" Nadja asks as he pops a chouquette in his mouth. "How did you get in here?"

"Secret door," he jokes. He then gestures over to the blank space next to him. "I see Ladybug's running a bit late, huh?"

"I-I thought you'd both arrive together," she replies in horror.

"Why would we?" Chat Noir asks, grabbing a handful of the snacks before him. "Not like we're partners or anything."

He fails to notice to suspicious look Nadja shoots at him.

"Oh, really…" she says as she scrolls through the pictures on her tablet. Her earpiece suddenly blinks, and after a few whispers, Nadja asks, "Would it be possible for you to contact Ladybug? We're on the air in ten, and we need _both_ of you here for the special."

"Oh, sure thing," Chat Noir says, taking his staff out. After sliding half of it down, he presses a button and holds it up to his ear. After a couple of rings, he hangs up and tells Nadja, "Sorry, she's not picking up. I'll try again."

* * *

"Super-Manon to the rescue!"

Marinette watches guiltily as her best friend plays around with the little girl she _herself_ is supposed to babysit. After setting her monitor up on the floor and piling up a bunch of pillows for them to rest on, Marinette takes a seat on the floor next to them.

"Glad you could make it last minute, Alya," Marinette says.

"Of course," Alya says as she tickles Manon. "It's way more fun to watch the Ladybug and Chat Noir special with my two favorite girls."

The program on TV ends, making way for a close-up picture of Ladybug and Chat Noir. An image of Nadja Chamach follows soon after as a commentator announces, "When we return from commercial, Nadja Chamack will be joined by Ladybug and Chat Noir for an incredible, exclusive interview!"

"That's my mommy!" Manon exclaims as she points to the screen.

"Why can't I get an exclusive interview like that for my LadyBlog and Miraculous Chat?" Alya huffs. "I have half a million followers on both blogs. That's enough of an audience, don't you think?"

"D-definitely," Marinette stutters. She takes a quick glance at the clock and immediately stands up, blabbering, "Oh, I forgot to, um, tell my bakery something; they're in the parents downstairs! Do you mind keeping an eye on Manon while I'm not here?"

"Don't you mean tell your parents something in the bakery?" Alya says as she laughs into her palm.

"Right! Um, it can take a while, and if customers come in, I-I tend to help them and," Marinette racks her brain for more excuses while on her way down her trap door. "Sometimes it gets super busy and, you know, they get stressed and I just want to help—"

"Marinette?" Alya says with a smirk.

"Y-yes?" Marinette stammers.

"Go!" Alya laughs. "We'll be right here. Try to make it before the show starts, so we can all watch it together."

"I-I will!" Marinette exclaims as she shuts the trap door behind her. Tikki flies out of her holder's purse, stopping at eye-level. "I feel like such a horrible friend doing this to Alya. I always leave her with Manon. But then again, she's a huge fan of Ladybug and Chat Noir—she'll be crushed if one of them failed to show up."

"It's your choice, Marinette," Tikki says.

"Then, I guess I'm going to have to leave her with Manon for a little while," Marinette says, flipping some hair away from her earring. "TIKKI, TRANSFORM ME!"

* * *

"Have you tried calling her again?" Nadja asks Chat Noir nervously as he pops the last chouquette in his mouth.

"No answer," Chat Noir shrugs. "But she's probably on her way here. You really think she'll let me have all the spotlight?" He laughs, but it does nothing to ease Nadja's nervousness.

She takes note of the red bar on her bracelet, wondering just _how_ she can get the ratings to soar without _both_ superheroes present. She'll surely have the Team Chat viewers

"We're on in fifteen, fourteen, thirteen," a staff member announces.

As he continues counting down, Nadja shuts her eyes, ready for the biggest fail in TV history, when the door suddenly busts open. Surprise by the sudden noise, Nadja opens her eyes and lets out a loud sigh of relief when Ladybug makes a flip in the air and impressively lands right next to Chat Noir at the very last second.

"I thought you decided to stand me up, My Lady," Chat Noir says with fake hurt as he jokingly holds a hand up to his chest.

"And let the audience down? Never," Ladybug smiles. "I'm sorry I'm so late, Nadja."

"As long as you're both here," the reporter grins.

"WE'RE LIVE!" the staff member announces, and Nadja gets right down to business.

"Good evening. I'm Nadja Chamack and this is _Face To Face_," Nadja begins. "For our first edition, I welcome the beloved heroes of Paris, Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

The camera pans over to the superheroes, and while Ladybug humbly waves, Chat Noir strikes ridiculous poses. When Ladybug sees him do so, she laughs into her palm, making Nadja grow more eager to ask them about the information she acquired about their _relationship_.

"Thank you so much for accepting this exclusive interview," Nadja says.

"We're honored to be here," Ladybug says.

"Hello to all my fans," Chat Noir winks, blowing a kiss into the camera.

"I'm sure thousands have tuned in to watch you tonight," Nadja encourages.

"Please don't feed his ego," Ladybug says flatly. "Unless you want a cocky cat throughout the entire interview."

"Don't listen to her," Chat Noir scoffs. "Bugaboo's just a _spot_ jealous."

"I am _not_ jealous!" Ladybug snaps, face flushed. "And stop calling me that!"

"Why not, _Bugaboo_?" Chat Noir teases, chuckling at the annoyed and embarrassed look on her features.

"It's obvious you two are very close," Nadja points out, earning a blush from Ladybug and a raised eyebrow from Chat Noir.

"In a way?" Chat Noir answers. "We're very clearly rivals, so I guess all that time competing against each other did something to our relationship."

Nadja displays an even greater look of excitement at the mention of the word _relationship_. "People know you, but they don't _really_ know you. We see you saving Paris all the time, but we don't know anything else about you."

"Well, we won't be keeping anything from you, Nadja," Ladybug says. "Besides the obvious, like our secret identities, of course."

"Of course! Now, how about we start a few questions from your biggest fans?" Nadja asks, gesturing over to the wide screen up on the wall. With a swipe of her tablet, a screen with Chloe Bourgeois filing her nails appears onscreen. Chat Noir smiles nervously, while Ladybug's face practically screams _annoyance_.

"Hello, caller," Nadja greets, and Chloe puts her nail filer away to wave at the screen. "State your name and your question."

"Seriously, Nadja? Surely, no one would be the first caller but _me_," Chloe scoffs, flipping her ponytail. This makes Ladybug roll her eyes. "I'm only _the_ most prestigious Ladybug fan."

"Oh yes, of course. Hello there, Chloe Bourgeois. Daughter of the mayor of Paris—"

"And don't forget, my Daddy is the manager of the Grand Hotel of Paris, the best luxury hotel in the entire city."

"R-right… thank you for reminding us," Nadja says, making a nervous glance at her bracelet. "What is your question, Chloe?"

"Oh, I don't have a question. I just wanted to say hi because, as you all know, I'm _such_ good friends with Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

"Yeah, right," Ladybug says under her breath.

"Uh, thank you, Chloe," Nadja says as she searches through her tablet. "Next caller."

"Hey, I'm not finished! Who gives you the right to—"

Chloe disappears from the screen and is instead replaced with Alya. Ladybug can only gulp nervously and panic quietly as the scene unfolds before her.

"Hi, Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Alya exclaims. "I'm Alya, and I was wondering if you'd do an interview for the LadyBlog and Miraculous Chat, since I probably have twice as many viewers as Nadja. What do you say?"

Offended, Nadja makes a sour face, and gestures over to Ladybug and Chat Noir to answer the question.

"Anything for my fans," Chat Noir with a wink, making Alya jump excitedly.

"I'd love to do that," Ladybug replies nervously.

"Thank you, thank you!" Alya exclaims.

"Are we on TV?" a little girl suddenly asks, pushing her face into the screen. She gasps, "Hi, Mommy!"

"Manon? Where's Marinette?!" Nadja asks in a panic.

"She had to tell her parents something," Manon answers as she waves at the screen.

"She's probably also helping them out, since it can get pretty busy down at the bakery," Alya adds with a nervous chuckle. "She'll be up soon, don't worry! It's all under control."

Nadja opens her mouth to say something, but she stops herself when her earpiece blinks. When the earpiece stops blinking, the reporter disconnects the call with Alya and Manon, and goes straight to the point, since the calling sequence has no doubt failed.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir," Nadja says, grabbing the heroes' full attention. "It's been speculated that you two are actually _dating_."

"WHAT?!" Ladybug and Chat Noir exclaim in unison.

"Fans think that the whole _rivals_ thing is just to drive away all suspicion of your _real_ relationship," Nadja says with eagerness and excitement dripping in her voice. "Can you confirm that you're dating here, tonight?"

"I'm _very_ sorry, Nadja, but you've got it all wrong," Chat Noir says firmly. "Ladybug and I _are_ rivals. Plus, there's _no way_ I'd go for someone as clumsy as her."

"That's right—_hey_!" Ladybug exclaims, turning to Chat Noir to glare at him, while he just innocently whistles. She feels a slight pinch of pain in her chest at what he says, but shrugs it off to tells Nadja, "We're only here to ensure all Parisians that they're safe and that it's only a matter of time before we defeat Hawkmoth."

"Deny it all you want, but these pictures say otherwise," Nadja replies, swiping her tablet.

A picture of Ladybug kissing a red-eyed Chat Noir appears onscreen, making Ladybug shriek in absolute horror.

"YOU KISSED ME?!" Chat Noir screeches, turning to Ladybug with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. "WHEN? _WHY_?!"

"I WAS SAVING YOU, NOT KISSING YOU!" Ladybug answers, covering her face with her hands to hide the crimson blush on her cheeks.

Nadja continues to swipe at her tablet, making new pictures (that can be _easily_ be misunderstood by the public) appear on the widescreen. One picture is of Chat Noir being held by Ladybug as she swings them across Paris, another is of Chat Noir jumping in front of Ladybug to take the blow instead of her, another is of Ladybug lying on the ground with Chat Noir on top of her, and another is of the two of them sitting over the edge of one of the Eiffel Tower's platforms at sunset.

Chat Noir's eyes grow wider and wider the more pictures Nadja displays on the big screen. What if _Marinette_ sees this? He didn't want her to believe he was in love with _Ladybug_.

"It's so obvious that you're both in love," Nadja says.

"These are just a bunch of photos taken out of context!" Chat Noir says out of pure frustration. "I can tell you _exactly_ when these pictures took place! We were only doing our job by saving the city!"

Seeing just how strongly he denied it, Ladybug can feel her heart sinking in her chest. Despite this, she adds, "He's right. We are _not_ a couple!"

"Why won't you tell the truth?" Nadja pesters. "Come on, the audience awaits your answer!"

"It _is_ the truth, Nadja," Chat Noir says. "Not only do you reveal a handful of pictures like that without asking us, but you're also trying to pressure us into saying something that isn't true."

Nadja displays a look of shock at his words.

"I was just…" the reporter begins.

"This interview is over," Ladybug says. "And, even if we were, this is _private_ information. We don't need Hawkmoth knowing these kinds of things to try to use it against us."

"I wasn't trying to put you in danger, really," Nadja says in a panic when the two heroes get up from their seats and make their way over to the exit. "Please, don't go! The show isn't over yet! Your fans will be disappointed if they don't get an answer!"

"We already _have_, Nadja," Chat Noir answers before disappearing behind the door with Ladybug.

The two heroes make their exit through an open window and swing themselves onto the roof of the building. The air is awkward, and Ladybug so wishes she could just jump off the roof at that very moment. She didn't expect the studio to actually have a picture of that _kiss_.

It's quiet, and very, very eerie. But then Chat Noir breaks the silence, and Ladybug is more than grateful when he does.

"Some hour-long special that turned out to be," Chat Noir mutters, shrinking his staff.

"Nadja was willing to do anything to make her show a success," Ladybug adds.

"If you ask me, I'm more angry about the fact that she displayed all those pictures on the big screen for all of France to see," he grumbles.

"At least we explained that they were taken out of context," Ladybug says.

"I hope _she_ didn't see them…" he mutters under his breath. He says it so quietly that Ladybug _barely_ catches it, but she unfortunately does, and she it hurts a little more than she wanted it to.

_She?_ Ladybug asks herself._ Chat Noir already has someone he likes?_

She should've expected it—they lived double lives; it shouldn't be a surprise that he found someone he liked in his civilian form. But Ladybug continued to hope that that wasn't the case. She continued to hope that he would like _her_ one day.

She sighs.

At the end of the day, he only sees her as a rival.

"I should head home," Chat Noir says, snapping her out of her sad thoughts. "I wasn't expecting to get back this early, but I might as well get some rest before patrol tonight."

Ladybug merely nods and follows after him when he jumps off the building and lands on one of the roofs nearby. They run across the rooftops together, but upon meeting the edge of one, a bright light blinds them, making them stop in their tracks. When they open up their eyes to see what's going on, they gasp to find a wide screen displaying an android-looking woman with red hair and a face that may very well just be a screen.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news!" she exclaims. "I'll be your host for tonight, Prime Queen!"

"NADJA?" Ladybug and Chat Noir exclaim in unison.

"Tonight, Ladybug and Cat Noir disappointed all their loyal fans by refusing to admit their love for one another," Prime Queen says. She then jumps back, making a screen appear next to her. By the looks of it, it appears to be Chloe Bourgeois' room. "I've prepared some trials just to see how far they're prepared to keep the truth hidden from us."

Chloe looks into the screen and shrieks upon realizing what is happening. Ladybug and Chat Noir close their eyes when bright light flashes onscreen, and when it ceases, they open them up again to see Prime Queen standing next to Chloe.

"Hey, you're not allowed in here!" Chloe thunders. She then turns her head towards the door, screaming, "_Security_!"

While she isn't looking, Prime Queen throws some rope in her direction, tying her up tightly. She then pulls the blonde towards her, saying, "Let's welcome our very first guest, Chloe Bourgeois, who's apparently a personal friend of our two superheroes."

"I certainly am," Chloe scoffs.

"Just proves that you can't believe everything you see on TV," Ladybug says flatly as Chat Noir heavily sighs at Chloe's answer.

"Oh, really?" Prime Queen smirks. "Well then, Chloe, let's find out if you really _can_ count on them as true friends."

With a snap of the akumatized villain's fingers, Chloe's room disappears in the background, and is quickly replaced with what appears to be a subway train. After pushing Chloe to the ground, Prime Queen disappears beyond a screen and reappears in the driver's cart.

"Wh-who are you?!" the driver exclaims.

After stopping at the next subway station, the driver runs out of the cart, allowing Prime Queen to take control of the entire train. The villain pushes a lever forward, making the subway's regular speed of 40 kilometers per hour skyrocket to over 120 kilometers per hour. Ladybug and Chat Noir can hear passengers screaming for help in the background.

"Welcome to the subway of suspense! Let's see how fast this thing can go!" Prime Queen cackles. The watch on her arm suddenly blinks, and when she looks down at it, a grin creeps up on her face. "Well, would you look at that—the ratings are rising! More and more of you want to know if our superhero friends will get here on time. Ladybug, Chat Noir! Are you willing to travel through the screen to save your oh-so-precious friend, Chloe?"

Chat Noir takes out his staff and extends it, allowing it to go through the screen to see if they would actually be able to go through. Once he gets confirmation that they indeed can, he reduces his staff to its regular size and turns to his rival, bowing to her in a teasing fashion.

"Ladies first," Chat Noir smirks.

"What if it's a trap? I think it's better we get there through our own means," Ladybug offers.

"There are many subway lines in Paris, which means a hundred and forty miles of rails. If we want to get there on time to capture that akuma, I don't think we have a choice," Chat Noir says matter-of-factly.

"Fine, I admit you have a point," Ladybug huffs, backing up to make the jump. Chat Noir does the same. "But don't complain to me if it does turn out to be a trap."

"I'll take my chances," Chat Noir says.

After a quick count of three, Ladybug and Chat Noir run towards the edge of the roof and jump off the building, right into the screen.

After a flash of light, Ladybug is the first to land in the subway cart, and she actually manages to land perfectly. Chat Noir flies out of the screen not long after, knocking Ladybug right off her feet and landing right on top of her. Chat Noir rolls off immediately so as to not create another misunderstanding—he'd hate to see a picture of _that_ on the news the following day.

"And I thought cats always landed on their feet," Ladybug smirks as she gets off the floor.

"Oh, shut up," Chat Noir says flatly, standing up and dusting himself off.

"Ugh, _finally_. What took you so long?!" Chloe shouts. Ladybug and Chat Noir give each other a _look_ before turning back to the blonde. "Hurry up and get me out of this underground nightmare!"

The subway train suddenly makes a jolt, causing Chloe to fall to the floor, but neither Ladybug nor Chat Noir make an effort to help her back up.

"You're about to be the stars of the highest rated show in all of TV history!" a familiar voice exclaims. The two rivals look up to find Prime Queen at the other end of the cart, pointing at her watch after her announcement.

"The akuma must be in that watch," Ladybug says, twirling her yoyo.

"Definitely," Chat Noir says, charging forward.

Ladybug launches her yoyo and Chat Noir throws his staff at the villain, who dodges the attacks effortlessly. Without making a single attack, Prime Queen merely smirks and jumps through one of the screens, which Ladybug manages to break it immediately after. Chat Noir sprints towards the door and wiggles the handle in hopes of getting to the driver's cart, only to curse under his breath after realizing it's locked.

"We're trapped!" he yells in frustration.

"The rules for my show are simple," Prime Queen says from the screens. "Admit the truth live on television that you're dating and in love, and I'll stop the train!"

"Like we'd admit to something that isn't true!" Chat Noir shouts.

"I want my scoop!" Prime Queen yells back.

"Chat Noir, there's no way out of this unless we play along," Ladybug whispers to him.

"Play along?" Chat Noir repeats. His face then falls, and he groans, "Don't tell me you mean we have to _fake_ being in love."

"It's the only way to lure her in here for one of us to get close enough to capture her akuma," Ladybug reasons, holding her hand out. After a moment of hesitation, Chat Noir takes her hand, making his rival's face turn a very obvious cherry red.

"Alright, Prime Queen, you win," Ladybug says, pulling Chat Noir closer to her, who tries his very best to hide his discomfort and annoyance. "We're in love."

"Say that one more time," Prime Queen demands.

Ladybug looks over at Chat Noir longingly, and says, "I love Chat Noir."

The train slows down, coming to a sharp halt, and making Chloe fall over the umpteenth time that day. The two rivals fall forward, resulting his Chat Noir being backed up against a wall, and Ladybug smashing into his chest. After realizing what just happened, Ladybug looks up and after seeing just how _close_ they are, her face turns an even darker shade of red.

"…Are you okay?" Chat Noir asks with a raised eyebrow. "You're seriously heating up."

Ladybug jumps a whole meter back. "I-I'm fine," she replies as she plays with her bangs.

"Our two heroic lovebirds are saving their fan's life by admitting their true feelings," Prime Queen announces, clasping her hands together. "Our viewers are going crazy! _But_—our TV ratings haven't maxed out yet. We need more!"

"Come and join us, then," Chat Noir replies. "You're the host and the star of the show after all. Maybe _then_ you'll have your ratings."

"I'm afraid not," Prime Queens shakes her head. "To prove that your feelings are genuine, you're going to have to take off your masks, which means you must both give me your Miraculous!"

"Not a chance!" Ladybug exclaims.

Annoyed by their insubordination, Prime Queen shuts off the screens, making them all fade to black. Chat Noir walks over to one of them, humming questionably when he knocks on it a couple of times and nothing happens.

"Is the show over?" he asks.

The screen turns on again, making him jump back and take his staff out to get ready to attack. The superheroes gasp when they see Prime Queen standing in the middle of the Egyptian exhibit at the Louvre.

"My dear viewers, you are in for the reveal of a lifetime!" she cackles, walking over to a sarcophagus. She opens it up to reveal Alya tied up and wiggling around to try to break free.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir, help!" Alya screams before the sarcophagus shuts in her face.

"Oh wait, isn't this the girl who started the famous LadyBlog and Miraculous Chat?" Prime Queen asks, holding a hand up to her mouth. "The first one who ever filmed our two heroes?"

"Alya!" Ladybug exclaims in horror.

"Next trial, hand over your Miraculous or else your biggest fan will be mummified!" Prime Queen announces.

The screen Chat Noir knocked on earlier suddenly lights up, and he nearly falls over since he was leaning on it. He pulls his arm back, making the screen go static.

"Guess this is the only way out," Chat Noir says.

"Hurry before she shuts it off again!" Ladybug exclaims.

With a nod, Chat Noir jumps through the screen, and Ladybug follows him right after. It's only after they go through the screen that they realize they left Chloe in the subway train, and that they realize how _gullible_ they were to believe that Prime Queen would actually take them to the Louvre.

Ladybug and Chat Noir fall out of the screen, automatically grabbing their arms to warm themselves up from the cold. Rather than taking them to the Louvre, Prime Queen teleported them to what appears to be a restaurant's _freezer_.

Chat Noir jumps to his feet and tries to pry the door open, but to no avail. A screen lights up next to them, revealing Prime Queen laughing maniacally.

"Why are there even screens in here?!" Chat Noir yells.

"The time has come to push those ratings sky high! Let's try this again," Prime Queen says, pulling the sarcophagus into view. "Reveal your secret identities to the world or watch your biggest fan _drown_."

Prime Queen snaps her fingers, making one of the many screens near her light up to reveal the Seine. She pushes the sarcophagus into it, stopping halfway through and smirking upon hearing the two rivals gasp.

"Hurry up, you two. Don't want to keep your audience waiting," the villain winks.

"You're right," Ladybug says, taking her yoyo out. "LUCKY CHARM!" She throws her yoyo in the air, and after a flash of light, a tape roll falls into her hands instead. "A tape roll? What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Normally I'd day something sarcastic, but I'm more confused as to how you were even able to throw your yoyo with the freezer being this cramped," Chat Noir says.

Ladybug looks around the room, following the ladybug-printed pattern with her eyes, and her face lights up when she realizes what she has to do. She rummages through the shelves, shoving back potatoes, frozen meat cutlets, and stacks of butter. After frantically pulling out a couple of more tubs, she sighs in relief after taking out an empty box of pizza.

"Got a delivery?" Chat Noir asks when Ladybug throws it to him.

"Quickly undo the box and hold it over the screens," Ladybug says, pulling the tape. With a nod, Chat Noir does as he's told, and they both take a step back to admire their work.

"What's happening?" they hear Prime Queen says in a panicked voice.

"You win, Prime Queen," Ladybug says. "We'll remove our Miraculous. The whole world will see us without our masks!"

"Such a shame you're missing it," Chat Noir adds.

"If you're lying, you're going to regret it," the akumatized victim says.

Prime Queen's fist suddenly pops out of the screen, punching a hole through the pizza box. Ladybug reacts immediately by pulling her into the freezer with them, and Chat Noir breaks the two screens with his staff to erase any chance she has of escaping.

"And now, you're stuck with us," Chat Noir grins.

Prime Queen charges at Ladybug and tries to punch her, but the superhero moves out of the way at the last second and performs a series of wrestling moves to pin her to the floor. Ladybug then grabs the arm the watch is on and smashes it against the floor, making the akumatized item crack and release the black butterfly.

Ladybug successfully catches the akuma with her compact, painting it white as snow. "MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" she yells, throwing the tape roll into the air, and releasing a series of magic dust and ladybugs to bring everything back to normal.

Chat Noir places a hand on the freezer's doorknob, smiling to himself to find it unlocked. He opens it up, letting the white butterfly fly away as he mocks Ladybug by saying, "Bye bye, little butterfly."

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Ladybug groans.

"I'll be making fun of it until we're old and gray," Chat Noir says as he childishly sticks his tongue out.

A black and violet cloud envelopes Prime Queen, and when it fades away, Nadja Chamack sits in her place, holding the sides of her head to ease the painful pounding in her head.

"What happened?" Nadja asks as Ladybug and Chat Noir help the reporter back on her feet.

"You were akumatized by Hawkmoth," Ladybug answers, and watches as Nadja gasps and hang her head low.

"All because I tried to force you both to admit to something that's not true," Nadja says guiltily. "I'm sorry, both of you. I just wanted to attract more viewers."

"I may have a way of helping you with that," Ladybug says.

"You do?" Nadja asks hopefully.

"Just leave it to me," Ladybug nods.

* * *

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news!"

A few days later finds Marinette and Alya sitting on the couch in the former's living room, holding the latter's phone after getting a notification that the newest episode of _Side by Side_ has been uploaded online. Manon pops out from behind the couch to watch the video with her two babysitters.

"Hi, I'm Nadja Chamack, and this is Side by Side," Nadja says into the camera. "Today, I'm joined by Alya Cesaire, creator of the LadyBlog and Miraculous Chat! Together, we'll be looking back over Chat Noir and Ladybug's greatest feats."

"Hello, Nadja! Hello, fans!" Alya exclaims as she waves to the camera. "So, first of all, I have to set the record straight. Ladybug and Chat Noir are _not_ dating. Well, not yet at least. We can always hope!"

"Hey, that's you with Mommy!" Manon exclaims while pointing to the screen.

"You got it," Alya winks.

"Now, everyone's going to know about your blogs!" Marinette exclaims.

"Want an autograph?" Alya asks jokingly.

"Of course!" Marinette laughs.

* * *

It's one, almost two in the morning, when Ladybug finds herself hopping from roof to roof to meet up with Chat Noir for patrol. They're meeting up a little later than usual, and she knows that she's going to have a hard time staying awake in her classes the following morning, but if sacrificing a little bit of sleep is what it takes to spend a little more time with Chat Noir, then she'd do it any day.

From where she stands, she can trace Chat Noir's silhouette under the shining moonlight. She makes it to the top of the Eiffel Tower with the help of her yoyo, landing right behind her rival.

"Sorry I'm late," Ladybug apologizes. "I had a few things to take care of back at home. Ready to go?"

"Have a seat," Chat Noir says, gesturing over to the spot next to him. He doesn't turn around, and instead continues looking straight ahead. "We can sit here for a while before going for patrol."

"Oh, uh," is all Ladybug says as she sits about a meter away from him. "Did you want to talk about something?"

"I do, actually," Chat Noir says, turning to look her in the eye. "During our first interview with Nadja… Mind telling me what that kiss was all about?"

Ladybug's face turns a bright shade of red, and Chat Noir's eyes widen when he notices this.

"Um, are you all right?" he asks, moving closer to place a hand on her forehead. This just makes Ladybug blush even harder. "You're really heating up."

"I'm fine!" Ladybug exclaims, smacking his hand away. She then proceeds to cover her face with her hands to hide her blush for the second time that day.

"No need to slap so hard," Chat Noir grumbles, shaking his hand. When the blush on Ladybug's face goes down, he tries again, "It happened during Dark Cupid, didn't it?"

"Y-yes…" Ladybug replies. "When he hit you, he reversed your feelings for me. You were saying a bunch of things like how you loved me and how you wanted to become partners."

"Oh, that sounds terrible," Chat Noir says. "And I'm guessing the only way to break the spell was a kiss?"

Ladybug nods, looking down at her hands to avoid eye contact.

"Well, if that's the case, thanks for saving me," Chat Noir says, leaning back. He then smirks, "Even if that meant I had to be kissed by a klutz like you."

"Stop bringing it up!" Ladybug screams as Chat Noir stifles his laughter at her reaction. "Ugh, if I knew you were going to be like this, I shouldn't have saved you at all!"

"Like I've said before, we're not partners, so there was no need to," Chat Noir says. His face softens, however, and he scratches the back of his head as he says, "But… thanks anyway."

"What?" Ladybug blinks.

"Thanks for saving me even when you didn't need to," he says, giving her a smile.

Ladybug smiles back, and her heart makes a flip in her chest. "Thank you, too," she says.

"For what?" Chat Noir asks.

"You've saved me multiple times…" _As both Ladybug and Marinette_, she wants to add. "It was about time I did the same thing for you."

Chat Noir says nothing and merely shoots her another smile, making Ladybug feel so lucky to have seen him smile so much in one evening—and for _her_. Minutes pass as they sit in silence, but while Chat Noir is admiring the city that's still bustling with life even at this late hour, Ladybug rocks nervously in her seat as thoughts run through her mind nonstop.

She knows that it's technically none of her business, but after hearing Chat Noir whisper to himself a few days ago about a _girl_, she just wants to know if she heard right. It's definitely going to break her heart if he does in fact already have someone he likes or someone he's dating, but… she just really wants to know.

"Um, Chat Noir?" Ladybug asks, breaking the silence.

"Hm?" he answers.

Ladybug takes a deep breath. "Well, I, uh… A few days ago, after we walked out on the interview with Nadja, I kind of overheard you say… something while we on the roof."

"What is that something?" Chat Noir asks.

"You said something about hoping _she_ didn't see the pictures of us Nadja put up on the big screen," Ladybug finally says after a moment of hesitation.

Her question is already answered when Chat Noir's face turns a bright shade of red. "Y-you heard that?" he stutters, attempting to cover his face with a hand. "Wow, I should really keep my mouth shut."

"Is she… your girlfriend in your civilian life?" Ladybug asks quietly. Chat Noir is too busy freaking out to notice her shoulders droop in defeat.

"What's gotten you so interested all of a sudden?" Chat Noir asks after calming himself down.

"I just wanted to know," Ladybug says. "There's no use hiding it now, since your reaction gave it away."

"Well, if you really want to know," Chat Noir begins. "I don't have a girlfriend… but I _do_ have someone I really like."

"Oh," is all Ladybug says. She pushes away the pain for now, clutching her fists and standing right up. "We should go around for patrol."

Chat Noir looks up at her, taking notice of her weird behavior. But he doesn't question it, and instead, he just nods.

"Let's go."

* * *

"He already has someone he likes," Marinette says as she plops onto her bed and buries her face into her pillow.

Tikki flies over to her and gently pats her head. "It's alright, Marinette," the kwami assures her. "You still have a chance."

"I have _no_ chance, Tikki," Marinette says, turning around to frown at the little ladybug. "I see him every day, but I can't even get him to look at me as more than just a rival."

"You just have to keep trying, as Marinette _and_ as Ladybug," Tikki says.

"You're right, I can't give up now," Marinette sighs. She takes a quick glance at the calendar on her nightstand, and asks, "Do you think… he'd come to dinner if Ladybug asked him?"

"It's worth a try," Tikki smiles.

Marinette grabs the calendar, eyes glued to a date exactly five days away.

"Yeah," she says softly. "It is."

_end card_

* * *

**A/N:** I'm sure we all hoped for Ladybug and Chat Noir to talk about the kiss at the end of the _Prime Queen_ episode. I was pretty sad it never came up again. ;A;

I decided to end this chapter by giving you all a little tease to what's coming next: _Glaciator_! It's definitely going to be interesting, since it's reversed. Rather than a MariChat moment on the roof, get ready for a Ladrien one!

Thank you for reading!

**Akuma Capture:  
Ladybug: 1  
Chat Noir: 2**

_Next Episode: Glaciator_


	4. Glaciator: C'est Parfait

**Who Needs You?**

_Episode 03_

Glaciator: C'est Parfait

"LOOK OUT!"

A little girl stands frozen in shock right in the middle of a crosswalk, her eyes kept glued on the bus speeding right towards her. Ladybug launches her yoyo onto a nearby pole, swinging in to save the toddler; a mere _three_ seconds too late, and it would've turned into a complete disaster.

Ladybug sets the little girl down, whose parents come running to her, crying and thanking the Parisian hero nonstop. With a nod, Ladybug swings off to chase the speeding bus. When she finally manages to eye the bus, she nearly loses her grip on her yoyo when Chat Noir flips off a roof and lands perfectly on top of the bus. Her face lights up upon seeing him, and she performs an impressive flip of her own, landing right next to him.

"Good morning, My Lady," Chat Noir smirks, making a saluting notion with his finger.

With a roll of her eyes, Ladybug lowers her head to take a peek into the bus, seeing a bunch of people holding onto each other for dear life, and a distraught bus driver furiously stomping on the brakes, exclaiming, "The brakes are busted!"

"I have a plan," Ladybug says upon turning to her rival. "I know we're not partners, but your cooperation is needed."

"As long as it stops people from getting hurt," Chat Noir says.

After a quick explanation of her plan, Chat Noir gives Ladybug his staff and watches as she jumps off the front of the bus. She lies flat on the ground, letting it pass right above her. She tightens her yoyo around a metal bar under the bus, and she quickly ties the other end of her yoyo around Chat Noir's staff. When the bus passes her, she throws the staff in the air, allowing Chat Noir to catch it and throw it between two poles. The staff suddenly extends itself, its ends going far past the poles, and both heroes nervously wait for the bus to slow down with the help of the staff holding it back.

Ladybug and Chat Noir sigh in relief to see the bus halt to a stop before it can hit a couple and their child crossing the street. The two heroes retrieve their weapons and walk over to the front of the bus to help people get off. After a few words exchanged, high-fives and fist bumps, Ladybug approaches her rival warily.

"Good plan," Chat Noir compliments.

"Thanks," Ladybug says. "I was actually afraid you'd refuse to team up."

"When it comes to things like this—no tally marks or no time to lose—I make an exception," Chat Noir smirks. "What's Paris' famous superhero duo without the rivalry in-between?"

"Right," Ladybug laughs. She then awkwardly looks down, shifting from one foot to the other, and Chat Noir looks down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You okay?" he asks, making Ladybug look up at him with a squeak.

"Y-yes, I'm fine! I just, um," she begins clumsily. "I was just thinking… would you join me for dinner tonight?"

Chat Noir blinks. He remains silent as he lets her continue.

"A-as rivals! Friends!" Ladybug quickly adds. She looks down, nervously twiddling her fingers. "We've been saving Paris for quite some time now… I was just thinking we, you know… Take some time to sit back and relax and… learn a thing or two about each other…"

She looks up to find Chat Noir looking at her with surprised eyes.

He blinks.

And then, he smirks.

"Sounds an awful lot like a _date_," he says. Ladybug's whole face turns bright red.

"It's _not_!" she exclaims, biting the inside of her cheek because she so wanted it to be.

"Well, as thoughtful as that sounds, I actually already have plans tonight with some friends," Chat Noir says. "We've been planning it for a while, it'd be mean of me to bail."

"O-oh, well, if your plans end early, or if it gets cancelled, would you join me?" Ladybug asks. "I'll be on one of the roofs right in-between the Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower."

"We'll see," Chat Noir says.

With a nod, Ladybug turns around to swing off. She looks behind her shoulder once more, and says, "I'll be waiting."

Chat Noir watches her swing off in the distance, a small smile tugging at his lips.

* * *

Chat Noir jumps into his room through the open window and transforms back into Adrien, holding out a slice of Camembert cheese before his kwami can complain. Plagg swipes the piece of cheese and gulps it down in 0.2 seconds, making his holder groan in disgust.

"I can't believe you actually _like_ that kind of stuff," Adrien says, retrieving his cellphone to check his text messages. Most of them were from Nino confirming the time and place to meet up, to which Adrien happily replies with _Thanks, I'll be there!_

"Well, you're going to be eating _much_ better food than me tonight when you meet up with Ladybug, so just let me have this!" Plagg says, sitting on top of Adrien's head.

"I'm not going," Adrien says.

"What?!" Plagg says, flying off of the top of his holder's head to be at eye-level. "But she said that she'll be waiting for you!"

"I know, but I already promised my friends I'd go," Adrien says. "I even told her."

"You haven't even asked your dad yet!" Plagg says. And then, it hits him. "Oh, _I see_… it's because _Marinette_'s going to be there."

Adrien pauses. "…Let's go eat dinner," he says.

Plagg stifles his laughter as he dives into his holder's pocket. Adrien makes his way down the stairs and into the dining room to find his dinner already prepared and no one else in sight. He sadly makes his way over to his seat and eats his dinner all by himself. After sneaking a few slices of cheese in his pocket for his kwami, Nathalie walks into the room.

"Your father will be eating in his office tonight, Adrien," she informs.

"I figured he would," Adrien sighs. "Did he at least answer to my request about going to get ice cream with my friends?"

"I'm sorry, Adrien. Your father wants you to stay home for today," Nathalie says. "He wants you to practice your piano."

"Fine," Adrien says as he walks up the stairs.

Adrien shuts the door behind him and walks over to his computer. He opens up his Internet browser and quickly types down a video-streaming website. He goes through his playlist of piano pieces and picks one to play out loud at full volume, making it sound like he's practicing the piano while he sneaks out of the house.

"I'm always amazed by how you can get away with these types of things," Plagg says, gulping down another slice of Camembert.

"My father said no to Adrien, but not to Chat Noir," Adrien smirks. "PLAGG, TRANSFORM ME!"

* * *

"Adrien, you made it!"

Nino, Alya, Ivan, and Mylene all run up to the blond to give him a proper greeting. The setting sun's rays suddenly hit Adrien's face, making him instinctively place a hand over his eyes to block out the light. This makes him realize that it's sunset, and just the thought of sharing ice cream with _Marinette_ under the pink-yellow-orange sky sounds too good to be true.

Wait.

Adrien quickly scans his group of friends once more.

"Where's Marinette?" Adrien asks.

Nino looks over at his friends with a frown, who only make the same facial expression in return. They all know about Adrien's (very obvious) crush on Marinette, and they already know how his reaction is going to be once they answer his question.

"Don't get upset, okay?" Nino begins, placing a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Marinette texted Alya at the last minute to tell her she can't make it."

"Can't make it?" Adrien repeats in disappointment.

"She said that it's something really important," Alya adds.

"I understand," Adrien answers quietly as his shoulders droop. He sighs, "So… do you know where Andre is today?"

"The fun thing about Andre and his ice cream cart is that you never know where he's going to be," Nino says, taking out his phone to reveal Andre social media page. "You have to follow his clues to find out where he's going to set up."

"The first time Mylene and I wanted to eat Andre's ice cream, it took us _three hours_ to find his cart," Ivan says, turning to Mylene. "Do you remember?"

Mylene giggles in response, nodding her head.

"Hey, look!" Nino says, holding up his phone to show his friends. "Someone posted a picture of him! He's on his way to the Pont des Arts!"

"Let's hurry!" Ivan exclaims, grabbing his girlfriend's hand and rushing off. Alya follows after them, leaving Nino and Adrien behind.

"Come on, dude," Nino says, placing a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know how you're feeling, but don't let this get you down. There will be other opportunities."

"You're right," Adrien says with a sad smile.

"Let's go!" Nino exclaims as he runs off, and Adrien follows shortly after.

The five friends eventually make it to the Pont des Arts, and they all gasp excitedly to find the jolly man scooping up some ice cream for the lovely couple waiting by his cart.

"My name is Andre, Andre Glace! The sweetheart matchmaker," the man sings. "With one scoop or two, I'll find up for you with magical ice cream flavors!"

After gently placing three scoops of ice cream onto a chocolate-vanilla swirl cone, Andre turns around to give it to the waiting couple.

"Pistachio, vanilla, and strawberry for the lovebirds from Italy," Andre grins.

"Thank you, Andre," the couple says in unison, their Italian accent shining through.

"You're welcome, my friends! Enjoy Andre's ice cream, and may your love never end!" the ice cream man exclaims as he throws his hands in the air.

"Hi, Andre," Mylene says as she approaches him while holding Ivan's hand.

"Striking young Ivan and dear sweet Mylene! If you aren't still the cutest lovebirds I've seen!" Andre says, turning around to get straight to work. Once done, he turns around to present the ice cream cone he prepared specially for them. "Chocolate, praline, and white nougat for you! A special concoction to keep your love true!"

After graciously accepting the treat, Ivan and Mylene walk away to make room for the next couple, Nino and Alya.

"Ah, these two I've never seen. This your first time here with me?" Andre asks.

"It sure is," Alya replies with a laugh as Andre turns around once again to work his magic.

"For you two—coconut, banana, and a touch of passion fruit!" he says, handing them their ice cream. Nino and Alya gasp in awe at the pretty tower of ice cream.

Adrien watches his friends get served the "magical ice cream" as he sits on a nearby bench frowning. He leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees, and his palms on his cheeks, trying so hard to ignore the sadness he feels in his chest.

"Hey, kid. You think the guy has any Camembert-flavored ice cream?" Plagg asks, poking his head out of Adrien's inner breast pocket.

"Not a chance, Plagg," Adrien sighs.

"Why don't you just go get one?" Plagg asks. "It's not exactly fun seeing you so down in the dumps."

"What's the point? Marinette isn't coming," Adrien frowns.

"He might not be here, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying some good ice cream and a fun hangout with your friends. _And_ you could give me a taste of it, too!"

"And what about you?"

Plagg immediately dives into his holder's pocket, and Adrien looks up to see that the owner of the voice is no one than Andre Glace himself.

"M-me?" Adrien stutters.

"The handsome boy who sighs. I have a flavor just for you, it's sure to make you smile!" Andre exclaims. "What's your name?"

"Adrien," he replies as Andre gestures him over to his ice cream stand.

"Pink lemonade for what she wears, blackberries for her hair, and blueberry ice cream like her sky-blue eyes," Andre says, presenting an ice cream cone that makes Adrien gasp. It matches Marinette exactly, and it makes it hard for Adrien to hide the blush on his cheeks. "Eat this and your love will materialize!"

"H-huh?" Adrien says, snapping out of his thoughts. He then panics, "I, uh, think you're mistaken. I-I'm not in love with anyone."

"Why, of course you are," Andre says with grin. "When there's love burning in one's heart, Andre knows it from the start. Enjoy your ice cream, Adrien. I know she'll be here."

Adrien looks down at his ice cream, smiling sadly. With a sigh, he holds the ice cream out to Andre.

"Thank you, but you've got it all wrong," Adrien says. "I _really_ don't have someone I—"

A teen suddenly rushes past Adrien, accidentally shoving him and making him drop his ice cream. He looks down at the mess, watching it melt into the ground while Andre gasps in horror.

"Andre's ice-cream has always melted hearts, but the magic will only work if you eat it! I'll make you another one," he says, quickly turning around to make Adrien's ice cream.

"Thank you, but it isn't necessary," Adrien frowns.

"Yes, it is," Andre insists, picturing all the lovely couples he's served at his very stand. "My ice cream has brought everyone together. Every famous loving couple in Paris! Edith and Marcel, Jeanne and Serge, Olive and Tom! Your loved one is out there somewhere! All you need is to believe in the magic of Andre's ice cream!"

"You're very kind, Andre, but I don't have a loved one," Adrien says. "I _do_ believe your ice cream is magical, but… I just don't think it would work for me."

Adrien turns to his friends and says, "I have to go. My father wants me home before dark. See you guys tomorrow at school."

He sighs, walking off in the direction of home, and his friends look at each other sadly. Not only do they know how disappointed Adrien feels since Marinette couldn't make it, but they also know that he feels upset knowing how Marinette doesn't seem to return his affections. To her, he's nothing but her rival. Those thoughts, along with Andre's insistence, must've made him feel much worse.

"We're sorry, Andre," Alya apologizes. "He's usually so cheerful. You just caught him on a bad day."

After her apology, the group decides to head in the direction of their respective homes, leaving behind a heartbroken ice cream clerk.

* * *

"Geez, kid. I wasn't expecting you to be such a downer."

Adrien plops onto his bed and buries his face in his pillow. Plagg sits next to his head, munching on a slice of delicious Camembert cheese.

"I'm really the worst," Adrien mumbles into his pillow. "I over-reacted and ruined the day for my friends. All because I wanted to share some ice cream with Marinette."

"Yeah, you really did mess up back there."

"Thanks, Plagg."

_Tap, tap_.

Plagg immediately flies into his holder's pocket to hide. Adrien looks in the direction the tapping came from, surprised to find Ladybug hanging upside-down on the other side of his window. He approaches her slowly, and he opens his window to hear what she has to say.

"Ladybug?" Adrien asks.

"Hey, Adrien," Ladybug says with a sad smile.

"What are you doing here?" Adrien asks, welcoming her inside.

"It's been a bad day," Ladybug sighs. "I didn't feel like being alone tonight. Mind if I hang around here for a while?"

"Was that a pun? You're starting to sound a lot like Chat Noir," Adrien laughs. He stops laughing, however, when Ladybug looks away and frowns.

She stays silent for a moment before continuing in a whisper, "He never showed up."

"What?" Adrien asks.

"I… invited Chat Noir to this thing I had planned for the two of us," Ladybug says bashfully. "But he never showed up."

"Wait… for real?" Adrien whispers to himself. The guilt washes over him instantly—he didn't think she was actually serious when she asked him out earlier that day.

Now, he just feels like one big jerk.

But if Chat Noir couldn't make it, he'd made sure that Adrien could.

"What was this special surprise?" Adrien asks, making Ladybug shrug.

"It doesn't matter so much anymore," Ladybug says.

"Don't say that," Adrien says. "If you took the time to plan and prepare for it, then of course it does."

"I guess so," Ladybug says with a small smile. "It's still a bit sad, though."

"It happens to all of us," Adrien says quietly with a frown of his own.

"Bad day for you, too?" Ladybug asks, and Adrien nods slowly.

"She never showed up either," he replies.

At this, Ladybug almost loses her grip on her yoyo; she wasn't expecting Adrien to have someone he likes. He never really showed interest in anyone.

With a little smile on her face, Ladybug extends her hand to him.

"Looks like we both need a bit of cheering up," she smiles. "Come with me."

He slowly holds his hand out to her, which Ladybug quickly grabs, and before he knows, they're both hurled into the night sky. Adrien holds onto her tightly, watching as they swing from one building to another, before landing on the roof of one of hundreds of townhouses around the city.

Adrien immediately notices the picnic blanket laid out, and the basket sitting on top of it that's most likely filled with food. He walks over to it, gasping to see a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower on one side, the Notre-Dame Cathedral on the other, and the lit-up streets of Paris down below. It certainly doesn't beat the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower, but it's beautiful, nonetheless.

"Is this…?" Adrien begins, watching as Ladybug walks over to the blanket to sit on. She folds her legs to her chest, hugging them as she looks out into the city. Adrien takes a seat next to her not too long after.

"Yup," is all Ladybug says.

"I'm sorry…" Adrien says quietly.

"It's not your fault. He told me he might not be able to make it, but I had my fingers crossed," she says. "It's my fault for assuming he would."

"I mean, I'm sorry you went through the trouble of preparing all this, and he didn't show up. It's such a waste."

Ladybug looks over at him, and smiles. "It's not a waste if I'm here with you instead. I mean, I hope you don't think it's weird, since we've only worked together once or twice."

"No, it's not weird at all," Adrien says. "And I'm with Ladybug—how cool is that?"

Ladybug laughs, shifting her position into a more comfortable one. She brings the basket closer, opening it up to reveal an abundance of desserts inside. Adrien's mouth waters at the sight.

"I also made these for him, but I'll share them with you instead," she says.

Ladybug proceeds to take the desserts out of the basket to place in-between them. She takes out a box of assorted macarons, butter croissants, chocolate eclairs, and two slices of flaky mille-feuille cake.

"I hope you like them, I made them myself," Ladybug says, making Adrien pause at that last part.

"You… made them?" Adrien asks, feeling even guiltier.

"That's right, so don't be too amazed if it's extra tasty," she laughs, popping a green macaron in her mouth.

Adrien goes for a chocolate eclair, sighing in delight at how decadent it tastes. He quickly devours it and goes for a butter croissant this time to balance out the sweetness of the eclair, exclaiming about how good that one is as well. Ladybug watches him eat her desserts, eyes sparkling happily at his excitement and compliments. Getting compliments from him as Marinette is rare, so to see his positive feedback towards her baking makes her so happy.

"What do you think?" Ladybug asks shyly. "About the desserts?"

"They're _amazing_," Adrien says, popping a peach pink macaron into his mouth. "And the peach-colored macarons are passion fruit, right?"

"It is!" she exclaims. "Not everyone gets it right on the first try, how'd you know?"

"Passion fruit's my favorite," he grins. "But your baking really is amazing. Thanks for sharing it with me, Ladybug."

"No problem, Adrien," Ladybug says, looking down with a smile on her face.

Even though the top and bottom macaron shells aren't nearly as identical as they should be, even though a few of her croissants are clumsily rolled, even though some eclairs have a bit too much filling, and even though her mille-feuilles aren't as visually stunning, Adrien liked them nonetheless, and it's enough to cheer her up.

Once they were done eating, Adrien thanks Ladybug for the food as she puts whatever trash they left back inside her basket.

"Thank you, too," Ladybug says.

"For what?" Adrien asks in confusion.

"For cheering me up," she grins. "You ate my food and complimented it. It made me feel a lot less gloomy."

Adrien smiles at her, but his face immediately turns into one of alert as he shouts, "_Look out_!"

He pushes her back as he himself falls backwards, and a large scoop of what looks like ice cream splatters all over the chimney next to them. Ladybug quickly rushes over to Adrien and grabs hold of his hand, swinging onto a much higher townhouse's roof. They look over the edge to see an enormous snowman made of ice cream making its way around the city.

"Adrien, sad and bitter, I said my ice cream would make everything better," he sings. "Instead, you said my magic's not real, so now I'll show you how you made me feel!"

The akumatized villain begins shooting scoops of ice cream in different directions, making civilians down below scream in horror as they run off.

"Who's that?" Ladybug asks.

"It has to be Andre the ice cream maker," Adrien says as he watches the giant ice cream monster stomp around the city.

"The Sweetheart Ice Cream guy?" Ladybug asks.

"It's a long story," Adrien says.

When the coast is clear, Ladybug grabs hold of Adrien and takes him back to his room. At this point, Glaciator shoots his ice cream into the sky, making it rain different flavors of ice cream. It doesn't sound so bad in retrospect, they both think, but to be hit on the head by a falling ball of strawberry ice cream doesn't sound so pleasant either.

"Stay hidden, Chat Noir and I will take care of Glaciator," she says.

Adrien nods. "I will," he says. "And thanks again for the desserts."

She flashes him one last pearly-white grin before swinging off in the direction of the akumatized villain.

"Oh, you must've felt _bad_ when you saw that picnic she set up for Chat Noir," Plagg says, flying out of Adrien's pocket.

"Okay, I admit I did, but I made up for it as Adrien, didn't I?" Adrien scowls.

"Sure, but at the end of the day, it was all for a certain someone who stood her up," the kwami says.

"Just transform me so I don't have to hear this from you anymore."

* * *

Ladybug gasps when she finds frozen civilians all over the streets of Paris. Their facial expressions and actions all illustrate their fear before being hit by the Glaciator's ice cream beam—some have their arms in front of them, some were mid-run; Ladybug feels saddened that she couldn't help them in time.

Ladybug jumps on top of a car, her yoyo in her right hand.

"Hey, Glaciator!" she screams, catching the villain's attention. "Looking for me?"

"You! Where have you hidden Adrien?" Glaciator screams, firing ice cream at her. Ladybug dodges the attack by jumping onto a roof, but her face drops as soon as she sees Glaciator kick a police car in her direction. Ladybug tries to get away, but unfortunately finds herself flying while resting on top of the car. She eventually falls off when the vehicle flips over in the air, and she clumsily tries to get her yoyo to latch onto someplace nearby. Before she can throw her weapon, however, a pair of arms scoop her up bridal-style, and it's only when they reach the ground does she realize that Chat Noir was the one to save her.

"Bad guys leave you cold, My Lady?" Chat Noir asks, setting her down. Ladybug doesn't answer, and simply frowns at him before looking away. "Uh, are you okay? Any reason why you're giving me the cold shoulder?"

Ladybug groans. "Another pun? Now's not the time," she says hastily. Chat Noir frowns guiltily, noting that it's _definitely_ because he stood her up.

"I've never tasted superhero flavor before. I can't wait to serve myself a double scoop!" Glaciator exclaims, shooting his ice cream in every direction, freezing people in the process. Ladybug and Chat Noir manage to successfully deflect the attacks with either a twirl of the yoyo or a spin of the staff before hiding in an alley.

"The ice cream seems to fire out of his hand," Chat Noir notes. "Before he was akumatized, he'd serve ice cream with… ugh, what's the word—"

"An ice cream scooper," Ladybug says coldly. Chat Noir flinches at the unfamiliarity of her tone. "That must be where the akuma is hiding."

"Chat Noir! Ladybug! Come out!" Glaciator yells, causing the heroes to turn to their attention to him once again. "It's time I turn you into popsicles once and for all!"

"No!" Chat Noir says, barely above a whisper, when she spots a couple sneak out of their hiding spot to try to make an escape.

Glaciator takes a glance at the couple, holding his arms out and ready to shoot, but turns away, letting them make a run for it.

"Did you see that?" Chat Noir asks. "It's leaving the couples alone."

"Is it?" Ladybug says.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but," Chat Noir says. "But if we _pretend_ to be a couple, maybe it won't attack us."

"So, you want to work together?" Ladybug asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Just for a split second, and _then_, we'll go on fighting for our tally mark as usual," Chat Noir says. "What do you say?"

"I say I'd rather try to defeat this akuma on my own," Ladybug says, and while her tone _should_ be filled with anger, it was delivered softly, making Chat Noir feel much worse.

But what's _even_ worse is the fact that _Ladybug_ refused to partner up. She's always been the one to make the offer, always asking even when she knew she'd get _no_ for an answer. And now that the tables have turned, Chat Noir realizes that he doesn't like it, at all.

As much as he hates to admit it… he prefers the "normal" Ladybug.

Ladybug jumps off the roof and hits Glaciator with her yoyo, slicing it in half. She gasps when it sticks itself back together, and her eyes widen when Glaciator sends a flurry of attacks in her direction. Chat Noir swoops in to save her once again, vaulting them onto a nearby roof and hiding them behind a large chimney.

"Are you… mad at me because I didn't show up?" Chat Noir asks, making Ladybug frown. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were actually serious about waiting for me."

"Forget it. I was the one who assumed you'd come," Ladybug sighs. "I asked to be stood up. But now's not the time to talk about that—let's go with your plan and defeat him once and for all."

"I know you're here!" Glaciator says in a sing-song voice.

Chat Noir picks Ladybug up bridal-style and jumps off the roof, landing a few meters away from the akumatized villain. Glaciator lifts up his arms, ready to fire at them, when Chat Noir puts Ladybug down and pulls her close. Ladybug lets out a squeak, feeling her ears burn. She nearly trips when Chat Noir starts walking towards Glaciator.

It lifts its arms higher, threatening to fire at them again, but when Ladybug goes on her tippy-toes to give Chat Noir a kiss on the kiss, it lowers its arms.

"_Hey_, that was _not_ part of the plan," Chat Noir says while trying so hard to keep the fake smile on his face.

"Don't act like I haven't kissed you on the cheek before," Ladybug retorts with a fake smile of her own.

"I can't hit them," Glaciator says, most likely talking to Hawkmoth. "They look so… _in love_!"

"_Yeah, right_!" Chat Noir screams, and the two rivals go straight into action.

Chat Noir extends his staff in an attempt to stab Glaciator, surprised to find that it hit something inside. "I've hit something," Chat Noir says. "Wait… Andre didn't turn into a monster, he's inside _controlling_ the monster!"

Upon hearing that they figured it out, Glaciator hauls his upper body towards the sky, making Chat Noir get launched into the air. Ladybug reacts by slicing its feet with her yoyo string, making Glaciator topple over. Chat Noir makes his staff revert to its original size before landing right next to his rival.

"How can we get Andre out without hurting him?" Ladybug asks as they watch Glaciator stick its legs back to its body.

Chat Noir looks around, his face surprised to see how close they are to Pont des Arts. He makes up a quick plan in his head before waving his hands around and yelling, "Hey! You want our Miraculous, don't you? Come and get it!"

He starts running in the direction of the bridge, making Ladybug follow after him. She looks back to see Glaciator getting back up on its feet and walking in their direction.

"Where are you headed?" Ladybug asks upon catching up to Chat Noir.

"Pont des Arts!" he says. "It's the only way to get him to stop gluing himself back together!"

Chat Noir and Ladybug stop running and turn around once the villain finally catches up to them. It stops right in the middle of the bridge, ready to attack both heroes, who are standing on safe land.

"Hand over your Miraculous, unless you want to be frozen for eternity!" Glaciator threatens.

"I hope you know how to swim!" Chat Noir says, throwing a hand up in the air. "CATACLYSM!"

Chat Noir touches the bridge, causing it to crumble and making Glaciator fall into the Seine. Chat Noir and Ladybug watch as the Glaciator's ice cream parts separate from each other and float away. Andre slowly starts making his appearance from one of the blocks of ice cream, and Ladybug reacts by wrapping her yoyo around him and pulling him towards them. Chat Noir snatches the ice cream scooper out of his hands and smashing it against the ground.

A black butterfly flutters out of the akumatized item, and Chat Noir catches it with the glowing green orb at the end of his staff. He purifies it, letting it fly free into the night sky before restoring everything to its former glory with a "MIRACULOUS CHAT!"

When the black and violet cloud enveloping Andre disappears, Chat Noir and Ladybug rush over to his side to help him up.

"Are you all right, Andre?" Chat Noir asks.

The ice cream man takes a good look at both of them, grinning widely as he pulls them both in for a hug. "How enchanting!" he exclaims. "I've been saved by such a lovely, heroic couple!"

"_Woah_, we are _not_ a couple!" Chat Noir exclaims. "You think I'd really fall for—"

Upon seeing the sad look on Ladybug's face, Chat Noir stops himself from saying anything else. After a quick exchange, Andre waves goodbye to them as he makes his way home.

There's an awfully awkward silence between the two rivals once Andre's out of sight. Chat Noir makes a side-glance at Ladybug, noting that the frown on her face never left.

"Are you, uh… still upset?" Chat Noir asks.

"I'll be fine," Ladybug says with a sad smile.

"Look, Ladybug… I'm really sorry," Chat Noir apologizes. "I didn't realize you were serious."

"Like I said, it's my fault for assuming you'd come. I'm sorry for acting like this," Ladybug says. "Still, it's a bit disappointing."

"I'll make it up to you," Chat Noir offers.

"No need. But thanks anyway," Ladybug says. Chat Noir's ring makes a beep, signaling the near end of his transformation. "Looks like it's time for you to go."

"I guess so," Chat Noir says after glancing at his ring. "I'll see you for patrol tomorrow night?"

Ladybug nods. "See you then," she says. "Good night, Chat."

Chat Noir watches Ladybug swing off into the night, the feeling of guilt still ever-present in his chest.

* * *

Adrien approaches Andre's ice cream cart the following day, which is now parked on the bridge at Canal Saint-Martin. It took him about an hour to find it, since Andre's clues were a bit tricky that day, but Adrien's face lit up as soon as he did manage to locate the kind man.

"Hello, Andre," Adrien greets.

"Adrien, you're back!" Andre exclaims. "Can I offer you some ice cream? To eat this time."

"Of course," Adrien says with a wide smile. "How else will I experience your ice cream's magic?"

"Pink lemonade for what she wears, blackberries for her hair, and blueberry ice cream like her sky-blue eyes," Andre says, remaking the order he made for him the first time. "Eat this—"

"And my love will materialize?" Adrien asks with a laugh, accepting the ice cream offered to him. After eating a spoonful of ice cream, he exclaims, "It's delicious!"

"Is it?"

Adrien freezes halfway through taking another spoonful of his ice cream. He turns his head at the familiar voice to find Marinette walking towards them. He quickly composes himself, and Andre laughs into his palm upon noticing Adrien's behavior. His ice cream surely hasn't failed him yet.

"Marinette?" Adrien says.

"Eat this and your love will materialize," Andre whispers with a wink. He then turns to Marinette with a kind smile, exclaiming, "Another customer! Welcome; would you like some of Andre's Sweetheart Ice Cream?"

"My friends told me it was magical," Marinette says. "I'd like one, please."

While Andre scoops out her ice cream, Marinette turns to Adrien. "I see you had the same idea as me today," she says, pointing at his ice cream. "What flavors?"

"Pink lemonade, blackberry, and blueberry," Adrien says, and he so desperately hopes she doesn't notice how she matches the ice cream exactly.

"Oh, that sounds like a nice combination," Marinette says. "I can't wait for mine!"

"Peach pink like his lips, and mint green like his eyes," Andre says somewhat sadly as he looks over at Adrien. "Eat this, and your love for him, he will recognize."

"H-him?" Marinette asks as a blush appears on her cheeks.

"Andre knows what's in your heart," he nods, handing her the frozen treat. "My ice cream is never wrong!"

"U-uh," Marinette looks over at Adrien awkwardly before re-verting her attention to her frozen treat. She takes a bite, exclaiming, "It _is_ delicious!"

Before Andre can say anything more, the line of people slowly forming near his cart catches his eye. "Andre has many more lovely couples to serve today," Andre sings. "Thank you for coming, best be on your way!"

Adrien and Marinette thank him for the ice cream, and they walk off together while eating their special ice cream.

"You… weren't there yesterday," Adrien begins. "We were all waiting for you."

"Something came up," Marinette answers quickly. "If I had known how it'd end, I would've just postponed it. But luckily, someone else joined me, and it was all worthwhile."

Adrien raises an eyebrow at her vague answer, but quickly shrugs it off. "We'll plan another ice cream day soon," he says. "And this time, you'd better be there."

"We'll see," Marinette says.

Adrien freezes at her words for a split second. They were the exact same words he used with Ladybug when she asked him to join her for dinner. The uncertainty must've torn her apart.

He sighs.

He'd better make up for it, whether she wants him to or not.

* * *

Chat Noir makes out Ladybug's dark silhouette from where he stands. He clutches the little basket in his arms a little tighter before jumping off the roof he's standing on to land on the roof a few stories lower. He runs across it, pole-vaulting himself up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, where Ladybug sits, curled up into a ball while overlooking the city.

"You're late," Ladybug says softly.

"Only because I was busy making this," Chat Noir says, taking his seat next to her and placing the basket between them.

Ladybug averts her attention to the basket, gasping when she finds Chat Noir taking out two croque-monsieurs, two deformed muffins, and two juice boxes. He hands one of each to Ladybug, who slowly accepts them with wide eyes.

"You don't need to eat them if you don't want to," Chat Noir says, taking a huge bite out of his sandwich. "The croque-monsieurs turned out okay, but the muffin's probably dry. It was my first time cooking anything."

Ladybug looks up at him, not saying a word.

Chat Noir pauses. "O-oh, did you want to sit on that roof you mentioned?" he asks. "I'm sorry, I—"

"No," Ladybug interrupts with a smile. "I'm fine right here."

Ladybug unwraps the croque-monsieur and takes a huge bite out of it, making a satisfied sound as how delicious it is. Chat Noir looks away in embarrassment, this being the first time anyone's _ever_ tried his cooking.

"Did you use Camembert for the croque-monsieur?" Ladybug asks, halfway done.

"My kwami suggested it… so…" Chat Noir says, trailing off. He takes the last bite out of his sandwich and picks up his muffin. He inspects it a little before taking a bite, and he was right—it's _dry_. He takes a few sips from his juice box afterwards, eyeing the untouched muffin next to his rival.

"Uh, on second thought," Chat Noir says nervously, reaching for Ladybug's muffin. Ladybug is quick to notice this and swipes her muffin before he can get to it.

"Don't take my muffin," Ladybug pouts. She bites off a piece for herself and Chat Noir cringes. "It's good."

"You don't have to lie," Chat Noir scoffs.

"No, I really like it," Ladybug says, taking another bite. "Thank you."

"I just thought… you probably waited a long time just for me not to show up," he says. "It was the least I could do."

"Who knew you weren't such a huge jerk deep down?" she teases.

"Just shut up and eat your muffin," Chat Noir huffs, making Ladybug laugh.

She takes another bite of her muffin, chewing with a smile on her face, and Chat Noir can't help but smile, too.

_end card_

* * *

**A/N: PLEASE READ!**

Since there seems to be some confusion, I just want to clarify that I will be writing the **official production order** of Miraculous Ladybug Season 2. If you've read _Who Needs Love?_, this fanfic picks up after Chapter 28, meaning **there has not been a reveal**. Here is the order of the chapters I will be writing:

**Santa Claws  
The Collector  
Prime Queen  
Glaciator  
Despair Bear  
Troublemaker  
Gigantitan  
Riposte  
Befana  
Frightningale  
Gorizilla  
Robostus  
Sapotis  
Dark Owl  
Syren  
Zombizou  
Captain Hardrock  
Frozer  
Style Queen  
Queen Wasp  
Reverser  
Anansi  
Malediktator  
Sandboy  
Catalyst (Heroes' Day Part I)  
Mayura (Heroes' Day Part II)**

Now that that's cleared up, I hope you all noticed the little changes in character! Adrien, who is in love with Marinette, is now developing a soft spot for Ladybug. And Marinette, who is in love with Chat Noir, is now developing a soft spot for Adrien. They just can't seem to fall for the right person at the right time! What more once Luka and Kagami get added into the mix? :)

Thank you for reading!

_And stay safe!_

**Akuma Capture:  
Ladybug: 1  
Chat Noir: 3**

_Next Episode: Despair Bear_


	5. Despair Bear: Unbearable

**Who Needs You?**

_Episode 04_

Despair Bear: Unbearable

"I'll let you all in on a little secret," Tom Dupain begins. "I _always_ add cream to the chocolate to make the ganache extra velvety. Then, I let it infuse for one minute."

Friday morning finds Mme Bustier's whole class watching Marinette's father make a demonstration on how to make the perfect, fool-proof macarons. Tom Dupain is a common guest in their classroom; always excited to offer pastry lessons to any interested individual. Every student in the class appears to be invested in his baking lesson—

—all except for one, that is.

"_Ugh_, do they _seriously_ think I want to get my hands dirty, cooking like some maid? If I want a croissant, I'd just make my butler get it for me," Chloe complains in the back of the crowd.

"He's not making croissants, Chloe," Rose says. "Those are macarons."

Tom is completely oblivious to Chloe's rude behavior and continues his lessons. He picks up a wooden spoon and the bowl filled with the ingredients for the ganache, and he begins to stir the mixture.

"And now, all you have to do is mix it all up—but you mustn't go too fast or you might splash yourself!" he exclaims.

"And soil my _Chenal_ pants? You _must_ be kidding me," Chloe says even louder, making the other students turn around to shoot her a glare for her rudeness.

"Look at this lovely emulsion," Tom says, presenting the creamy, chocolate ganache to the students, who all let out a gasp of excitement and awe.

Adrien catches something yellow at the corner of his eye, and he turns his head to find Chloe by the window talking to someone on her phone. He raises an eyebrow in suspicion before shrugging it off and turning his attention back to Tom.

"Now, we just need to chill it for one hour," Tom says, covering the bowl up with a sheet of plastic. "Marinette, can you put this in the school cafeteria fridge for me, please? In the meantime, I'm going to show your friends how to whip up egg whites to perfect stiff peaks."

"Of course!" Marinette exclaims, grabbing the bowl from her father.

Adrien watches Marinette leave the classroom, but when the door shuts behind her, he hears someone stifle their laughter. He turns around to find that it's _Chloe_ trying her hardest not to laugh, and he gets this horrible feeling in his gut.

"I'm just going to quickly head to the washroom," Adrien tells Mme Bustier before making his way towards the door to chase after Marinette.

He's just inches away from grabbing the doorknob when the fire alarm goes off, the annoying and loud beeping echoing throughout the classroom and the hallways. Adrien curses internally at the fact that he wasn't able to save Marinette from whatever plan Chloe devised.

"Quietly, students. Single file line, please. Just keep moving," Mme Bustier says as she leads everyone out of the classroom.

Adrien exits the classroom to find Marinette by the stairs, the bowl of chocolate ganache still in her hand.

"Hopefully it's just a fire drill?" Marinette says as they walk down the stairs together.

"I don't think so," Adrien mutters, casting a glance at his childhood friend, who's smirking with her head help up high.

Fifteen minutes later, the whole school and a group of fire-fighters find themselves all in the school courtyard. Principal Damocles stands on top of a stage with the Head of the Fire Department.

"So, someone had the bright idea of calling the fire department," the principal says, making a bunch of students whisper amongst themselves. "They thought it would be funny to waste the Head Captain's valuable time."

"I really should be going—" Head Captain says as he tries to make his escape.

"Hold on! I want the guilty party to apologize to you," Principal Damocles says.

"Um, Mr. Damocles?" Chloe suddenly says, grabbing everyone's attention. "I saw a student leaving the classroom right before the alarm went off. It must have been her."

"What? Who was it?" he asks.

Adrien scowls. He has a feeling he _knows_ where this is going.

"Let's see if she'll come clean. What do you say, _Marinette Dupain-Cheng_?" Chloe smirks, pointing an accusing finger at her enemy.

"Wh-what?!" Marinette splutters. "It wasn't me, I swear!"

"Well, Marinette? Do you have something to tell the Head Captain?" Principal Damocles asks.

Adrien takes a glance at Marinette and frowns when he finds her face all red from embarrassment, and her whole frame shaking from possibly wondering _how_ she can prove her innocence. He _hates_ seeing her so flustered and accused for something she clearly didn't do, so he shoots up his arm, ready to defend her.

"Excuse me, Sir. It couldn't possibly be Marinette," he begins, making Marinette turn to him with wide eyes. "Why would she disrupt her own father's baking class?"

Marinette can only stare at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. Adrien notices this, and smiles at her.

"And I know for a fact that Marinette didn't even have her phone on her when she went out of the classroom," Alya jumps in.

"I really must be heading out," the Head Captain insists.

"Just one more second. We're very close to discovering the truth," the man answers, making the fireman groan.

"I _really_ have to leave now. Just call me if you find out who the prankster is," the Head Captain says as he runs out of the school to tend to a _real_ emergency.

"Well, then, since no one is owning up to it, the _whole school_ will be punished," Principal Damocles announces sternly.

"_What_?! I'm not so sure my _father_ will react kindly to me being punished without any proof!" Chloe says, taking out her cellphone.

"Oh, n-no! Please, don't disrupt the busy mayor!" the principal stammers. "Correction—the whole school is punished _except_ for Chloe Bourgeois!"

The students all gasp at the announcement and begin screaming about the injustice, but Principal Damocles doesn't change his mind. He decides on punishing the students by making everyone clean the whole school up until lunch period—which is a whole three hours away. He _did_ say that they would all have the rest of the day off "to remember to think twice before pulling a prank like this". Despite this, all the students groan and curse as they're handed cleaning equipment, while Chloe plops onto a bench to play on her phone for the remainder of school hours.

"It was Chloe, wasn't it?" Marinette asks as she mops the floor.

"I'm about to find out," Adrien says angrily as he's handed a clean cloth.

Adrien starts walking over to Chloe, who's still playing on her phone while sitting comfortably on the bench. She looks up for a split second to roll her eyes at the glares the students nearby shoot her every few seconds.

"Can't you see I'm trying to relax here?" Chloe scoffs at Rose, who's sweeping nearby. "Go sweep somewhere else, Cinderella."

Rose whimpers and walks away, fighting the tears that threaten to spill. Adrien scowls at his childhood friend and stops right in front of her.

"Chloe," he says, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Adrikins!" Chloe exclaims, standing up from her seat on the bench to wrap her arms around him.

"Answer me seriously," Adrien says sternly as he unwraps her arms from around his neck. "I saw you make a phone call earlier. Was it you who called the fire department?"

"Of _course_ it was me," Chloe says, flicking her wrist. "So, what?"

"And it doesn't bother you that everyone's being punished because of you?" he asks, motioning over to all the scowling students around them.

"No? Why would it?" she scoffs. "They all seem to enjoy getting dirty making cookies. How's it any different than getting dirty cleaning floors? They should be _thanking_ me if anything."

"Chloe," Adrien sighs in exasperation. "How long have you and I been friends?"

"Since we were in diapers, Adrikins," Chloe replies, clasping her hands together.

"Well, I'm sorry, Chloe, but," Adrien begins, frowning. "I don't think I want to be friends with you anymore."

"Wh-what…?" Chloe asks, shock and heartbreak evident on her face.

"I can't be friends with someone who treats other people like this. You have to learn how to think about others, too. You have to learn how to be nice to people."

"N-nice?" she repeats.

"Yes, _nice_," Adrien confirms, giving her a look of disappointment. "It's not that hard."

He turns his back on her, and he starts walking away. He wonders if what he did was too harsh, but he convinces himself that it wasn't—it was a subject that had to be addressed eventually.

* * *

The three hours are up, and every student at the school line up to return their cleaning equipment. Adrien, Marinette, Nino, and Alya all make their way out of the school together, groaning in annoyance and making complaints.

"My wrist is dead," Marinette says as she clutches it tightly.

"So is mine," Adrien says as he shakes his.

"Ugh, this was just what we needed, don't you think?" Nino asks his girlfriend with a scowl.

"I don't even want to think about it," Alya groans.

"Babysitting the twins?" Marinette asks.

"You know it," Alya sighs. "Maybe I'll just take a nap while Nino deals with the madness."

"_Hey_!"

Adrien and Marinette laugh into their palms as they watch their friends bicker like an old, married couple. Once they've calmed down, Nino and Alya say their goodbyes before heading in the direction of the latter's home.

"What did you say to Chloe?" Marinette asks Adrien once their friends are out of sight. "I saw you talking to her earlier."

"Well, to keep things short, I ended our friendship," Adrien replies, ignoring Chloe as they pass by her. Marinette sneaks a glance at the blonde to find her teary-eyed as she watches them go.

"It hit her _pretty_ hard," Marinette says.

"It had to be done," Adrien says as he turns his back on Chloe, who rushes past him to hop inside her black limousine. He barely flinches when the door slams behind him, or even when the vehicle's tires screech before taking off.

"Wow," Marinette says absent-mindedly.

"What?" Adrien asks, eyebrow raised.

"Nothing. I'm just… surprised," Marinette says. "You've defended her time and time again. I thought you'd be making excuses for her forever."

"We all have our limits," Adrien says. "I know you two are pretty much mortal enemies at this point, but for her to do all that and then blame it all on you was going too far. You were on your way to getting suspended. Of course I had to step in."

Marinette is unable to repress the smile forming at her lips, and she does her very best to push away the _weird_ feeling in her chest. She's absolutely touched that _Adrien_, her _rival_, was the first person to step in to save her.

"Thank you for that, by the way," Marinette says with a small smile, making Adrien take a step back in surprise.

"Woah, I was _not_ expecting that," he admits.

"What _were_ you expecting?" Marinette asks, her smile dropping in an instant.

"I don't know. Something like '_okay, what do you want_?' or '_no strings attached'_? You're always suspicious of me," Adrien says.

"Well, this time, I'm genuinely thankful," Marinette says.

"Oh. Well, uh," Adrien starts awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "You're welcome."

A silence falls between them, neither one knowing what to say next. Adrien looks down into his breast pocket, seeing Plagg nod at him encouragingly while mouthing, "Go for it!"

"So, um," Adrien begins, looking away to avoid eye contact. "My fencing class got cancelled because of the cleaning."

"Lucky you," Marinette hums. "You'd be dead tired by the end of the day if fencing was still on."

"Yeah, that would've been horrible," Adrien says, shifting from one foot to the other nerovusly. "So, thing is, my father doesn't know that it got cancelled—he probably thinks I'm just about to start. I was wondering… would you want to—"

_Ding!_

Adrien's phone goes off.

He sighs.

Adrien takes his phone out to find a notification from Chloe on his lock screen, making his eyes go wide in surprise.

"Chloe?" he asks aloud.

Eyebrow raised, Marinette goes over to his side and takes a look at his phone screen, making the same shocked expression as the boy next to her.

"Chloe's inviting me to a party?" Adrien asks incredulously. "_Hello, I would like to formally invite you to a party today at the Grand Hotel de Paris from 3:00PM to 8:00PM. Please accept this invite as an apology for this morning. Chloe Bourgeois._"

"Seems like one of her schemes to try to regain your friendship and approval," Marinette says bluntly.

"I can't help but agree," Adrien says. "Did _you_ get one?"

Marinette takes her phone to check her latest notifications. "Nothing, as expected," she says with a shrug. Her phone then vibrates, and upon reading the new notification, Marinette gags, "_Augh_, she invited me just now!"

"Hm, I'm sure my father will allow me to go if I tell him Chloe invited me," Adrien says.

"Wait. You're actually _going_?" Marinette asks. "Even though you _know_ it's all just a plan to get on your good side again?"

"She wouldn't have done something like this if I hadn't said anything. I actually think that starting now, she's going to try to be nicer. I want to be there to witness the start of it," Adrien says. "You're not going?"

"I don't know," Marinette says.

"Go with me," Adrien suddenly blurts out.

"_What_?" Marinette exclaims. "Have you gone _insane_?"

"I-I mean, uh," Adrien stammers. "Just hear me out. Everyone knows Chloe can't resist being mean to you whenever she sees you. If we go together, we'll be able to see just _how_ hard she's willing to try to be nicer."

"_Ha_, I bet she'll explode during the party," Marinette says.

"Then, I bet she _won't_," Adrien counters. "Winner is owed a favor from the loser."

If there's one word to describe Marinette, it's _competitive_. Adrien knows that she isn't going to turn this down—_especially_ since he's the one to make the bet.

"A favor, huh?" Marinette asks with interest.

"A favor. A promise. Anything," Adrien says, holding his hand out. "Deal?"

"Deal," Marinette says, shaking his hand.

Adrien and Marinette walk side by side, making their way over to the Grand Hotel de Paris. They spot Alya and Nino making their way over to the entrance of the building, so they pick up their pace to catch up to them.

"Hey, you two!" Alya exclaims as Adrien and Marinette approach them. "Are you heading over to Chloe's party, too?"

"We are," Adrien answers. "Aren't you guys supposed to be babysitting?"

"Nora was home, and after we told her that this was a _once in a lifetime_ party, she let us go and agreed to take care of the twins," Alya answers. She then wiggles her eyebrows, "So… you're going _together_?"

"It's not like that, and you know it," Marinette huffs.

"Yeah, like I'd ask this klutz," Adrien taunts.

"You _did_," Marinette says through gritted teeth.

This piece of information is enough for Alya and Nino to send each other a _look_ and a mischievous smile.

The four of them walk into the hotel, gasping in awe at the fancy décor, expensive catering, and lighting—it's amazing how this was all put together barely an hour after everyone was allowed to leave school grounds. Many are playing video games by the wide flat screen tv, some are having the time of their lives in the ball pit, and others are dancing wildly on the dancefloor.

"The bet begins…" Marinette whispers in Adrien's ear. "Now."

As if on cue, Chloe lets out a high-pitched shriek and leaps onto Adrien's back, startling him.

"Adrien, you made it!" she exclaims, kissing both his cheeks as greeting. "What do you think of the party?"

"It was nice of you to throw one," Adrien says, making Chloe's eyes sparkle with hope.

"Do you really think so?" Chloe asks. Her eyes flicker over to Marinette for a split second, but seeing her face is enough to make her blood boil. "Wait a minute. You came with _her_?"

"I did," Adrien says. "Is that a problem?"

"_Of course_ it—" Chloe stops herself mid-sentence. Clenching her fists, she continues, "—isn't. It's no problem at all."

"Good to hear that, Chloe," Adrien smiles.

Chloe opens her mouth to say something, but rather than words, a yelp escapes her lips as she's pulled away from her childhood friend. She instead finds herself surrounded by Rose, Max, and Kim.

"Thanks for the invite, Chloe!" Rose exclaims, kissing both her cheeks. Max and Kim follow suit.

Chloe lets out an awkward laugh to hide her disgust, rubbing her cheeks as if trying to erase the traces of their kisses. The blonde then walks away from them, bumping into no other than her mortal enemy.

Marinette.

The music suddenly comes to a halt, and it feels as though _all_ eyes are on both of them. Everyone _knows_ how much the two hate each other, and it's especially awkward since Chloe tried to put the blame on Marinette for the whole fake fire drill earlier that day.

Neither of them moves for what feels like an eternity.

But then, Chloe closes her eyes and leans forward, lips pursed and cheek in perfect view of Marinette's field of vision.

Cringing internally, Marinette does the same, leaning in slowly. The crowd of people watch with anticipation, wondering if the two will _actually_ go for it—and they _do_.

Chloe and Marinette hurriedly kiss each other's cheeks before turning around and gagging over-exaggeratedly. Everyone in the room laughs at the turn of events before going back to their conversations as the music resumes.

"I should've caught you both on camera," Adrien teases.

"Oh, shut up," Marinette huffs, aggressively rubbing her cheeks with disgust.

"Enjoy the party," Chloe says with annoyance, making her way back to her butler's side.

"Well, I know what'll help bring your mood up again," Alya grins, throwing an arm over her best friend's shoulder. "Food!"

Marinette instantly lights up at the sound of that. "You know what? Might as well have fun before Chloe's 'kindness' vanishes," she laughs.

As per Alya's suggestion, the four friends all head over to the food table, stuffing themselves with luxury chocolates, expensive cheeses, and raspberry lemonade. When the crowd starts encouraging Nino to take over the DJ booth, Alya decides to follow him, but not without whispering a few words in Adrien's ear.

"You better make some moves before I take matters into my own hands," Alya warns, her voice sickly sweet, making Adrien gulp.

Adrien and Marinette stand side by side in silence, the latter popping the last of the chocolates in her palm into her mouth. He nervously glances at her, face growing warm as he racks his brain for something, _anything_, to say to her. He's never been this nervous around her before—heck, he _always_ has something to say to rile her up.

But today is different.

Today, he has an excuse to stay by her side for the entirety of the party. Today, he might actually be able to drop hints about how he feels about her.

A loud slam suddenly catches Adrien and Marinette's attention, and they turn their heads to find a scared Nathanael talking to a fake-smiling Chloe behind the counter.

"Having a _good_ time?" she asks him, voice robotic and left eye twitching.

"U-uh… yes?" comes Nathanael's nervous reply.

"Well, I guess she's trying her best," Marinette smirks.

"It's pretty refreshing to see, in a way," Adrien laughs. "It's a nice start—"

"—if you're so hot, why don't you take off your fake sheep skin sweater? Throw it in the trash where it belongs!" Chloe explodes, making the person she's talking to—Mylene—gasp with watery eyes.

Adrien's jaw drops at the outburst, but when Chloe catches his eye for a split second, she puts on the widest smile she can muster and says, "_Kidding_! Just kidding. I love mutton. You wanted ice cubes, right? I'll go get those for you…"

"Pretty rocky start, if you ask me," Marinette says bitterly.

"It's still a start," Adrien defends. "People can't change overnight, let alone two hours. We just need to give her some time."

"Trust me, people like her _never_ change," Marinette mutters, making Adrien scowl.

Chloe may not be the nicest person around, but she was his first friend, and he holds dear to his heart many of their precious childhood memories. She was always there to give him colorful band-aids when he was injured, and he was always there to cheer her up when her mother was out of town.

Chloe has done many unforgivable things in the past, but he knows that she acts the way she does so as to not show any weakness or vulnerability. Her father is always busy as Mayor and her mother hasn't been home in years; she craves for the attention she doesn't get in her homelife.

Adrien feels the need to defend her.

"Why do you always think the worst of people?" he asks, catching her by surprise. "You know, it's _really_ mean of you to look down on someone who's trying their hardest to change their bad habits."

"Chloe's _always_ been nice to you, you'll never understand the torment I had to go through the past few years," Marinette fights back. "It's hard for me to even give her a chance."

Before he can say anything he's going to regret, he says with a sigh, "I'm sorry."

"E-excuse me?" Marinette asks, baffled by his words.

"Chloe was my first friend. She was there for me when I had no one," he frowns.

"I understand," she says, chest bubbling with guilt. "I'm sorry for what I said, too."

An awkward silence falls over the two of them, neither one knowing what to say next. Adrien looks up, only to have eye contact with an impatient Alya. She points over at an oblivious Marinette and mouths, "What are you doing?"

Adrien can only mouth back, "I don't know what to say."

"You leave me no choice," Alya mouths before whispering something in Nino's ear. With a nod, her boyfriend stops the current music track and changes it to a soft ballad.

Adrien's face turns bright red as he watches couples walk onto the dancefloor to slow dance. While Marinette laughs as Chloe is persuaded by Kim to dance, Adrien takes this opportunity to sneak off, but his path is blocked by none other than Alya and Nino.

"And where do you think _you're_ going?" Alya smirks. "_You_ are going to ask Marinette to dance."

"No way," Adrien says, shaking his head. "What if she says no? What if she thinks I'm making fun of her? What if—?"

"Oops!" Nino says, shoving his best friend towards Marinette.

"_Ow_!" Marinette exclaims when Adrien slams into her.

Marinette flails her arms in a panic as she starts falling backwards from the sudden impact, making Adrien dive forward to catch her. Adrien's face turns a deep shade of red when he realizes just how close their faces are.

"Who's the klutz now?" Marinette smirks as he helps her get back up on her feet.

"Shut up," Adrien scowls.

"You know, you better tend to the lineup over there. Anyone can tell they're all dying to dance with you," Marinette says, nodding over to the group of girls a few feet away. When Adrien turns his head to look at them, the girls each let out an excited shriek and proceed to either hide their faces or wave at him.

Adrien chuckles awkwardly and waves hello before turning back to Marinette.

"I think I'll pass," Adrien says. "Why don't you go dance? It's a slow song, I don't think you have to worry about tripping over your own feet."

"Are you calling me a bad dancer?" Marinette glares.

"Absolutely," Adrien says smugly. His face, however, is quick to turn into one of surprise when Marinette offers her hand to him.

"I bet I dance better than you," she challenges.

"I doubt that very much," he counters while smiling internally, taking her hand and leading her to the middle of the dancefloor.

Once at the very center, Adrien places one of Marinette's hands on his shoulder before delicately placing his hand on her waist. With his other hand, he gently takes hers, assuming the perfect waltzing position. Adrien makes the first move, leading them as they circle around the dancefloor while looking into each other's eyes.

"Okay, so you're pretty good at waltzing," Marinette admits. "How did you learn?"

"My mom taught me," Adrien says with a sad smile. "When I was a kid, we used to dance around the living room all the time. But then, she disappeared one day, and now that room is my father's office."

"I'm sorry," is all Marinette can say.

"Don't be," he says.

Adrien realizes right then and there that talking about his mother didn't hurt as much as it used to. He used to completely avoid the subject, or display bitterness whenever he past is brought up, but now, he feels as though he can finally look back and smile instead of cry.

It still hurts a little, but he's come to learn that he's finally reached the final stage of grief.

Acceptance.

It was hard back then; he was all alone, without anyone to talk to or confide in. But since starting public school, he's met so many new people, made so many new friends who have unknowingly helped heal him.

He especially thanks the girl in front of him, and the girl who chases black butterflies atop rooftops with him.

"Thank you," Adrien says quietly.

"What was that?" Marinette asks.

He shakes his head. "Nothing, klutz," he grins, making her furrow her eyebrows.

Before either of them can say anything more, Alya and Nino dance over to their side, innocence mixed with mischievousness etched all over their faces. Alya performs a graceful twirl and then proceeds to change their positions, taking Marinette's hands to wrap them around Adrien's neck, and taking Adrien's hands to hold on firmly to Marinette's waist. Once done, Alya twirls back into Nino's arms, and they dance away as if nothing happened.

Adrien's face turns an impressive shade of red when he realizes just how close he is to Marinette.

"U-uh, we, uh," Adrien babbles pathetically. "We can stop dancing—"

Marinette cuts him off by wrapping her hands around his neck tighter and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Um, I'd rather _not_ get my head ripped off right now," Marinette says, looking over at the group of girls from earlier. Adrien turns his head to find them glaring daggers at Marinette. "I'm pretty sure they won't dare touch me while I'm with you."

"So, you _want_ to keep dancing?" Adrien asks.

"Correction: I want to keep living," Marinette says. She then adds with a smirk, "Don't think I want to keep dancing with a jerk."

"Likewise, klutz," Adrien shoots back.

After a deep intake of breath, Adrien allows himself to relax and close his eyes as he pulls her closer to him. They slow dance in silence, losing themselves in the music, when a high-pitched yell catches their attention.

Adrien is the first to open his eyes to see what's going on, eyes widening at the sight of a familiar yellow teddy bear in Chloe's butler's hands.

That bear was the one thing that always helped Chloe feel better after a bad day. Throughout their childhood, Chloe's mother was in and out of France, attending fashion shows in Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Italy, and the United Kingdom to name a few, before finally settling down in the United States. She missed her terribly—Adrien recalls seeing Chloe cry many days in a row. They used to always play with Mr. Cuddly as children, and to see that she still has it with her reminds him that she's still the same sad girl deep down.

"_Those two_," Chloe thunders, pointing over at Adrien and Marinette. "_Aren't_ dancing together! Not under _my_ roof!"

"But Chloe, you've been so kind!" the butler exclaims in a childish voice, holding the plushie up to her face.

Chloe is absolutely mortified when the ballad ends, the silence between tracks causing everyone to turn in her direction. From where Adrien is standing, he can see the panic in her eyes upon realizing that all eyes are on her.

"Mr. Cuddly is so proud!" the butler continues much to her embarrassment.

Chloe immediately pushes the stuffed toy down as an attempt to hide it, but it's too late.

"Is that your bear, Chloe?" Kim asks in an obnoxiously loud voice, making everyone around him laugh.

Adrien watches as Chloe drags her butler into the kitchen, her frame shaking with anger and humiliation. When the laughing and mocking die down, the music resumes, and everyone goes back to what they were doing.

"What was all that about?" Marinette asks.

Without a word, Adrien lets go of her and makes his way over to the kitchen doors. He looks through the little window to find Chloe's back facing the door, and her butler in front of her with a distressed look on his face. Adrien opens the door ever so slightly to eavesdrop in on the conversation.

"—I've had it with this stupid teddy bear, your stupid advice," Chloe yells. "And _especially_ you, Jean whatever-your-name-is!"

"But I was only trying to help," the butler says softly.

"Well, your way of helping only made things worse for me!" Chloe shouts ungratefully. "You're _fired_! I want you gone _today_!"

"…Yes, Mademoiselle," the butler says defeatedly.

Adrien takes a step back when he hears Chloe making her way back out. When the door swings open, Adrien can only look down at her with disappointment as she displays a look of both shock and horror.

"A-Adrien," Chloe gulps. "What are you—"

"Did you really have to do all that?" Adrien asks. "What happened to trying to be nicer to others?"

"That doesn't count," Chloe complains. "He deserved it! He made me a laughingstock! Did you see how everyone mocked _me_?"

Adrien sighs. "Chloe," he begins. "You say that as if you don't make fun of everyone else. Now, that you've had a taste of what it feels like, I hope that'll teach you to think of how others feel, too."

"But…" Chloe falters.

"And I personally think he _didn't_ deserve what you just did to him," Adrien adds. "He just wanted to help you. He had good intentions, and at least he's honest with his kindness… unlike you."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Chloe asks. "I _am_ honest with my kindness! I invited everyone to this party, didn't I?"

"Chloe, we all know that you threw this party not to apologize, but to try to gain my friendship back," Adrien says, making Chloe's heart drop.

"But I… it's not…" she tries.

While Chloe tries to find her words, a flash of black near the floor catches Adrien's eye. He looks over to where he saw it to find a black teddy bear running off all by itself, making him raise an eyebrow in confusion. When the stuffed toy latches itself onto Sabrina's leg, Adrien gasps and takes this as his cue to leave.

"Uh, I've got to go," Adrien tells Chloe without looking at her.

He turns around and runs off to the nearest exit, which just so happens to be the emergency exit staircase. Plagg flies out of his pocket holding two slices of Camembert cheese Adrien was able to pass him while scouring the food table.

"Aw, it was just getting good," Plagg complains, gulping down the two slices of cheese in one go. "It's always fun watching you get all blushy around Marinette."

"Just transform me," Adrien deadpans.

"Whatever you say," Plagg says in a sing-song voice. "But we both know you'll be thinking about it for the next couple of days."

"Transform. Me."

* * *

In the party area, an upbeat Jagged Stone track booms from the speakers, and all the guests watch Kim twirl Chloe around the dancefloor. Everyone seems to miss the sneaky black teddy bear wrapped around Kim's leg as they all continue to dance alongside them.

Marinette manages to sneak off while everyone is distracted, opting for an alleyway near the Grand Hotel de Paris. When the coast is clear, Tikki flies out of her purse and up to her eye-level.

"Something tells me you're getting a soft spot for Adrien," Tikki giggles. "You might end up _liking_ him one day."

"You're kidding, right?" Marinette grimaces. "There's _no way_ I'd ever fall for _Adrien_. You know I only like Chat Noir."

"If you say so," Tikki teases, making her holder groan.

"Let's just get this over with," Marinette says. "TIKKI, TRANSFORM ME!"

A flash of pink later, Ladybug swings out of her hiding spot and back into the building just in time to see Kim flip Chloe in the air. As if throwing a baseball, Ladybug flings her yoyo at Chloe's leg and pulls the blonde towards herself with all her might.

Chloe ends up landing inside the ball pit, but rather than giving the superhero a thank you, the blonde rudely exclaims, "It's about time! What took you so _long_?!"

Ladybug rolls her eyes.

Kim starts running towards Ladybug, a war cry right at the edge of his lips, when a familiar silver staff trips him, causing him to faceplant into the ball pit. The little black teddy bear loses its grip from the force of the fall, only to painfully slam right into the wall.

"Well, that was em_bear_assing," Chat Noir proudly says, allowing his staff to return to its regular size.

"Chat, please," Ladybug says. She then smirks, "I can _bear_ly stand another one of your puns."

"Fine, fine, I admit that was a good one," Chat Noir says with raised hands.

Their banter is cut short when a chair is thrown in their direction, just barely missing their heads. Chat Noir and Ladybug assume their fighting positions, looking up to find a brainwashed Max standing on top of a table.

"Forget Musical Chairs, why don't we play a round of Flying Chairs instead?" Max taunts, hurling another chair in their direction.

"_Hey_!" Chat Noir shouts, dodging it. "There are other people in here! You can aim at us all you want, but don't hurt the innocent, you stupid bear!"

"It's _Despair_ Bear!" Max exclaims as he continues to fling furniture at them.

When Ladybug sees an opening, she throws her yoyo at Max's leg, smiling victoriously when her weapon latches onto his ankle. She pulls at it, making Max fall on his back, but just when she thinks she's got the akumatized victim down, Chat Noir sends a brainwashed Alya flying with his staff.

"There are too many people in here," Chat Noir says, shrinking his staff. "That's just giving the bear more chances to brainwash people."

"You're right," Ladybug says, eyeing the staircase that leads to the roof. "I say we take this fight to the roof. Objections?"

"None," Chat Noir says.

Chat Noir and Ladybug nod at each other before sprinting up the stairs, and as expected, the akumatized villain follows three steps behind. Upon reaching the rooftop, Ladybug and Chat Noir take their weapons out, ready for the battle against Despair Bear.

"Did we miss him?" Chat Noir asks aloud, looking all over the place when half a minute passes.

He spots a black blur from the corner of his eye, and he turns in that direction just in time to see the bear dive forward to latch onto Ladybug's ankle.

"_Don't touch her_!" Chat Noir yells, pushing Ladybug aside to claw at the bear. Ladybug feels her heart swell with joy at this, but she quickly pushes it aside to focus on the fight.

Despair Bear lets out a yelp of pain before angrily charging at the superheroes once more. While Ladybug attempts to land a hit with her yoyo, Chat Noir notices black thread caught in one of his gloved claws.

"That's _enough_… uh, Jean-Claude? Baptiste? Oh, what's his name…"

Chat Noir's ears perk up at the familiar voice, and he grins upon seeing Chloe by the door to the roof. "Chloe! You're just the person I'm looking for," he grins, passing her the thread.

"What's this?" Chloe asks. Her eyes follow the string, eyes lighting up when she sees Despair Bear's furry body slowly unraveling. "Oh!"

"Just hold on tight," Chat Noir grins, heading back into the playing field.

"I know what you're up to," Despair Bear says, having noticed the black thread beforehand. The more Chloe pulls at it, the closer the villain gets to her, frightening her.

Ladybug blocks the bear's path before he can get any closer, backing him up onto the swimming pool cover.

"You either swim, unravel yourself, or get caught by me. Your choice," Ladybug smirks.

"CATACLYSM!" Chat Noir exclaims as his right hand emanates a dark glow.

He slams his hand onto the pool cover the second Ladybug jumps off, making Despair Bear look left and right in a panic. It's too late for him to make a decision when Chat Noir's Cataclysm comes into effect—Despair Bear does nothing but accept his fate as he falls into the water.

Chat Noir easily scoops out the wet teddy bear, and Ladybug dives into the pool to rescue the drowning, doll-sized butler.

"Another point for me," Chat Noir says in a cocky fashion.

"And another victory missed by Alya," Ladybug smirks, making her rival glare daggers at her.

Chat Noir rips the little bear head in half, watching as a black butterfly flutters out of it. His staff glows green on one end, signaling that it's ready to catch the akuma. With a swing of his weapon, Chat Noir catches it, painting it white and setting it free to fly into the night.

"MIRACULOUS CHAT!" he exclaims, bursts of green restoring everything to its former state.

A black and violet cloud envelops the doll-sized butler, turning him back into his regular height and weight. He holds a hand up to his drumming head as Ladybug helps him get back up on his feet.

"What am I doing here?" he asks in confusion.

"You were akumatized," Ladybug explains, picking up the restored Mr. Cuddly and handing it to him.

"Thank you for saving me, I'm so sorry for the trouble I've caused," Jean apologizes.

"There's another person you should thank," Chat Noir says, moving out of the way to reveal Chloe, who has her arms crossed and eyes averted. "We couldn't have saved you without Chloe."

Jean approaches her warily, and then holds up the yellow bear for her to take.

"Thank you, Mademoiselle," he says.

"You're welcome," Chloe says quietly as she takes the bear out of his hands.

"I should get going, then," the butler says with a sad smile. "Thank you for allowing me to work alongside you."

"W-wait!" Chloe blurts out. "I… am suddenly feeling very generous! You did help me quite a bit with your whole thing about being nicer to others. So, uh, you're _not_ fired!"

"You are so kind, thank you!" he exclaims.

Chat Noir and Ladybug watch the interaction with smiles on their faces. Chloe really has become a little nicer after the day's events.

"Let's hurry, then! We mustn't let our guests miss what's to come!" Chloe says. She then turns to the two superheroes and asks, "Do you guys want to come join us? How _cool_ would it be if Paris' super-duo came to _my _party?"

"Uh, I'd love to, but I've got to go," Chat Noir chuckles nervously, holding up his hand to show her his beeping ring. "Maybe another time."

"I should go, too," Ladybug says, hopping onto the rooftop's railings. Chat Noir does the same.

"Oh, and Chloe?" Chat Noir says, making the blonde look up. He smiles, "Thanks for helping out. It was really kind of you."

With that last said, Chat Noir and Ladybug hop off the railings to run across rooftops side by side.

"Well, you're awfully nice to _Chloe_," Ladybug says bitterly.

"She's okay," Chat Noir shrugs. "Why? _Jealous_?"

"Of _Chloe_? Don't make me laugh," Ladybug puffs.

"Oh, you definitely are," he says smugly.

"I'm _not_," Ladybug defends. "I was just thinking that _maybe_ you should try being a little nicer to _me_."

"But where's the fun in that?" Chat Noir teases.

"Oh, forget it," she sighs. "I'll see you tomorrow for patrol."

With that, Ladybug swings off in another direction, disappearing into the night.

Adrien soon returns to the party to find everyone enjoying themselves as if an akuma attack didn't just occur. He makes his way through the crowd of people, eventually reuniting with Alya, Nino, and Marinette. Alya is currently expressing her frustration over failing to record yet _another_ win for Chat Noir after having heard from Chloe that the male superhero was the one to get the tally mark this time around.

"It's okay, Alya," Nino comforts. "You'll get it next time."

"That's what I keep telling myself, but it _never happens_," Alya groans. "Chat Noir's fans keep sending in email after email asking if I'm ever going to upload a video of him catching and purifying an akuma! I'm really the worst admin _ever_!"

"Don't say that," Marinette tries. "They can't expect you to be there for _every_ akuma attack."

"Exactly, and on the bright side," Adrien begins optimistically. "Once you upload the video of your very first win of his, it'll probably become the highest-viewed video on the Miraculous Chat!"

"You're right," Alya says with a smile.

"Come on, it's not long until the party ends," Nino says, intertwining their hands together. "Let's have as much fun as we can!"

With a nod, Adrien joins in on the fun, but no matter how hard he tries to distract himself, he keeps thinking back to what Ladybug said to him earlier.

"_I was just thinking__ that _maybe_ you should try being a little nicer to _me_."_

Adrien would be lying if he said her words _didn't_ make him feel a bit guilty and hypocritical. He's been lecturing Chloe about being nice all day, but he fails to follow his own words as Chat Noir. It feels even worse when he thinks back to all the time he spent with Ladybug—no matter how much of a jerk he's been to her, she's been nothing but kind to him.

He sighs.

Maybe it's time he shows some kindness to her.

* * *

The following Monday, Mme Bustier's whole class finds themselves in the Grand Hotel de Paris with Tom Dupain once again, who successfully manages to finish his whole baking lesson this time.

"Great job, everyone!" Tom exclaims, picking out Rose's strawberry macarons and Alya's pistachio ones to taste. After a quick bite of both, he grins, "You've done some really good work, all of you!"

He then goes on to tell them all how making macarons is _very_ difficult and precise, so to see that his fool-proof recipe was a success for _everyone_ in the classroom, it's a win for himself and all of them.

"It was nice of you to invite Marinette's dad so that he could finish his baking lesson," Adrien says as he walks up to stand next to his childhood friend.

"Nice?" Chloe echoes. "Do you really think so?"

"I'm proud of you, Chloe," Adrien says. "You're really starting to act like your old self again."

"My old self was _too_ nice," Chloe says bitterly.

"Yes, but," Adrien smiles. "I'm happy to see that she hasn't complete left."

Chloe smiles up at him. "So… does this mean we can be friends again?" she asks hopefully.

"I'd say you're halfway there," Adrien says. "I'd rather have you slowly _earn_ my friendship again."

"What do you mean? So, we're _not_ friends again?" Chloe asks with a frown.

"Sure, you threw that awesome party, and even arranged all this, but it shouldn't stop there. You really do have to keep making an effort to be nicer moving forward," Adrien says.

"_Ugh_, I thought it was finally over with," she groans.

"I don't want to have to keep thinking twice about our friendship," Adrien says honestly. "I really want you to grow as a person, Chloe. I care a lot about you—I'm doing this for your own good."

"Fine… Anything for you, Adrien," Chloe says.

"Why don't you start off by complimenting everyone's macarons?" Adrien suggests, nodding over to their classmates.

"Do I have to?" Chloe grimaces.

"Please just _try_," Adrien pleads.

With a sigh, Chloe walks over to the tables, where a plate of macarons sits right in front of its baker. The first one in line is Kim, whose plate is filled with brown-colored macarons.

"I made mocha macarons," Kim grins as he lifts up his plate to present it to her. "I wanted to make the kind of macaron that'll wake people up and keep them energized!"

Chloe looks down at his baked goods and makes a face of disgust.

Kim's macarons are filled with _way_ too much ganache, and despite the shells looking like they've been perfectly baked, they're all of different sizes, making the macarons look sloppy and messy. However, they're all made with love, and one could tell Kim tried his very best.

Chloe lifts up a finger and opens her mouth to say that they looked _dreadfully_ ugly, but she stops herself when she remembers why she's going through all this in the first place.

"They look… _great_," Chloe says with a fake smile and gritted teeth.

"You think so? Thanks!" Kim says, picking out the prettiest macaron he put together. "Want to try one?"

"_Augh_, who'd want t—" Chloe bites back her words, and takes the treat presented to her. "I-I mean, I'd _love_ to try it."

With a gulp, Chloe eats the whole macaron in one bite, _hating_ to admit that it actually tasted quite good.

"They're… edible," she says, not meaning for that to sound so _mean_. When she sees Kim's frame droop in disappointment, Chloe adds, "It's nothing like those _expensive_ macarons my dad sends me, but it's still… good!"

"You think so?" Kim lights up. "Thanks, Chloe!"

Chloe turns to Adrien to find him giving her a thumbs up. With a sigh of relief, she walks over to the next person, who happens to be Mylene.

Mylene's macarons are of the color yellow, and while Kim's had way too much filling, hers practically had none. While the shells look perfectly baked, they're weirdly _glossy_—Chloe can practically see her own reflection in them.

Despite this, Chloe swallows her mean words and allows for some kind ones to leave her mouth instead.

"Your macarons look… cute," Chloe says, eye twitching as she tries to give her a big smile.

"They're lemon-flavored, would you like to try one?" Mylene asks, lifting up her plate excitedly.

"S-sure," Chloe stutters, gulping as she picks the smallest one she can find. She takes one bite, pursing her lips at the sourness, and then widening her eyes in surprise at the sudden sweetness.

"Is it okay?" Mylene asks nervously.

"They're, um, actually pretty good," Chloe says quickly. "G-good job."

After Mylene thanks her, Chloe passes over to the next person, who just so happens to be Marinette. Chloe looks down at the pink and white polka-dotted macarons, then looks up at Marinette before walking off.

"It's too early to be nice to _you_," Chloe scoffs before skipping over to Rose, and forcing herself to give a compliment to her pink, raspberry-flavored macarons.

"It's going to take a few tries, but she really is doing her best," Adrien says after making his way over to Marinette, who's making childish faces behind Chloe's back.

"I knew you'd say that," Marinette groans.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you won the bet," Adrien grumbles. "One favor, right?"

"That's right," she nods. "I'm going to be wise and save it."

"Ugh, I was hoping to just get over with it. But a deal's a deal," Adrien says. He then points a finger at the plate of macarons sitting in front of her. "May I?"

"No way," Marinette huffs, taking the plate and holding it protectively. "You're going to insult them. I have great pride in my baking."

"Just give me one," Adrien frowns as he tries to reach for one.

"No!" Marinette says stubbornly.

"Come _on_!"

"I said _no_!"

"_Marinette_!"

Marinette drops her plate of macarons in surprise, but Adrien manages to catch one before it hits the floor. Marinette looks up to find her father looking down at her sternly.

"Don't be rude," Tom scolds her. "Your classmate just wanted to try a macaron."

"B-but," Marinette begins before sighing in defeat.

"Not buts," Tom says sternly. He then turns his attention to Adrien and he grins, "Lucky you! You managed to catch one before they could all hit the floor."

"I'm pretty quick," Adrien laughs as Tom walks away to compliment other students' macarons.

Marinette slams the plate on the table, scowling to find no more than six macarons sitting on top of it, with the other ten lying on the floor.

"Thank you," Adrien smirks as he takes a bite. "Wow! It's just like your dancing."

Marinette's cheeks turn bright red.

"M-my dancing?" Marinette stutters as she thinks back to when she and Adrien danced at Chloe's party last week.

"That's right," Adrien smiles, leaning in closer to her face. "Bad."

Marinette's jaw drops in shock, and Adrien walks past her, shoving the rest of the macaron in his mouth.

"Hey! Get back here, you jerk!" Marinette suddenly exclaims behind him.

Their classmates all laugh as they watch Marinette chase after Adrien with fire in her eyes.

"Forget what I said about Chloe, _you'll_ never change!" Marinette yells, slicing the air with her hands as she continues to run after him.

At her words, Adrien can only laugh even louder.

_end card_

* * *

**A/N:** And this is where the bigger changes are going to start happening!

I was incredibly disappointed with how the show wrote Chloe's character. I was so excited for her redemption arc, her character development, her sad backstory—_everything_. But it all went down the drain in Season 3. I plan on keeping Chloe's character development consistent in this fic, and decided that _Despair Bear_ was the perfect episode to start it off. I didn't like how in the original, Adrien scolded Chloe about being nicer and even threatened to end their friendship, only to let her insult her classmates' macarons after she got what she wanted. I always felt that making her slowly earn his approval back is the right way to go, and I hope you do, too!

I took out the "Chat gets brainwashed" trope because no. I hate that trope with every ounce of my being. They're over-using it.

To the **Guest** reviewers asking if I have an updating schedule, I don't! I'm really sorry about the inconsistent updates, I'll definitely try to pump chapters out a little faster. (I just get a little discouraged at the low amount of hits this story gets, so I tend to put my focus on my other fic ideas. Sorry! D:)

Huge thanks for the favorites, alerts, and reviews! I really, really appreciate them.

Thank you for reading!

**Akuma Capture:  
****Ladybug: 1  
****Chat Noir: 4**

_Next Episode: Troublemaker_


	6. Troublemaker: Asking for Trouble

**Who Needs You?**

_Episode 05_

Troublemaker: Asking for Trouble

"Welcome to _Fill My Shoes_! This is your host, Alec Cataldi, and you're joining us _live_ in an all-new special episode! Our guest today is the one and only Jagged Stone!"

Jagged Stone jumps into the frame, singing a few lyrics from his latest single all the while strumming his invisible electric guitar. They're currently filming in Paris' most beloved shop for sweets, the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, where hundreds of fans are outside chanting the singer's name non-stop while holding up fan-made signs and wearing expensive Jagged Stone merchandise.

"Today, we're filling the shoes of a baker!" Alec exclaims, clapping his hands together. "Big thanks to Tom Dupain for allowing us to film at the famous Dupain-Cheng Bakery! If you haven't given it a try, you are sorely missing out! Come say a few words, Tom!"

Tom slowly creeps up into view, and awkwardly raises up a hand to wave at the camera. "Hello," he says nervously.

"He'll be giving us a few baking tips, _and_ he'll be teaching us how to make his signature baguettes! Stay tuned!" Alec grins.

"And… we're on break," the cameraman says, giving the host and the celebrity and thumbs up.

"Great start!" Jagged Stone's assistant, Penny Rolling, exclaims as she approaches the duo.

"I'll say!" Jagged Stone's producer, Bob Roth, exclaims, slapping a hand on Alec's shoulder. "The views are sky-rocketing!"

Sabine approaches Alec and Jagged Stone with a tray of freshly-baked croissants, with Marinette following two steps behind.

"Would any of you like a croissant? Fresh from the oven," Sabine offers.

"No, thank you," Penny replies politely. Bob barely spares her a glance as he plucks a croissant from the tray before walking off.

"I'm not sure it was such a good idea to let them film the show here, Marinette," Sabine says worriedly.

"Of course it was, Mom," Marinette says. "It'll bring lots of attention to the bakery! And Jagged Stone asked to come _here_ specifically! We're really lucky that someone as famous as him chose to film at our humble little shop."

"I guess you're right," Sabine says.

"No, no!" Tom suddenly cries.

Marinette and Sabine look over behind the counter to find Jagged Stone fiercely chopping a slab of dough with his hands. Tom is waving his hands with a flustered look on his face as he tries to get the celebrity to stop.

"You have the right energy, Jagged. You just need to be a little more gentle—uh, h-hello!" Tom exclaims when the camera pans over to him. Tom waves at the camera, the smile on his face a _little_ too wide. He continues, "Um, a-as I was saying—this is how you should do it."

The baker then takes the dough and kneads it gently to demonstrate, while Jagged Stone watches in awe. While Sabine laughs at how nervous her husband looks, Marinette makes her way over to a jittery Penny Rolling.

Jagged Stone's assistant watches the scene unfold nervously, her thumb clicking her ballpoint pen noisily. The crocodile she has on a leash won't stop making a fuss, the schedule in her arms is nothing but an indicator of just how exhausted she's going to be by the end of the day, and her work phone has been vibrating nonstop most likely from other artists begging for collaborations or nosy reporters asking for the latest news on their favorite rockstar. She's just about to tear all her hair out from the stress.

"Penny? Are you all right?" Marinette asks, making the woman jump.

"Marinette, you startled me," Penny sighs, placing a hand on her chest. "I'm fine, thank you for asking. I just have a lot to take care of today, and this show was my idea, so Jagged's putting all his trust in me. I just hope everything goes well today."

Marinette and Penny look over at the filming corner to see Tom awkwardly waving at the camera, and Jagged putting together different loaves of bread. The student and assistant exchange confused glances upon seeing the latter.

"So Jagged, how does it feel to fill the baker's shoes today?" Alec asks as he walks into the scene.

"It's awesome! Check out this edible guitar I made!" Jagged exclaims as he lifts up his masterpiece to show off to the viewers. Two butter croissants, a fresh baguette, and a lump of sourdough bread come together to form a guitar. Jagged excitedly strums at the sourdough, singing a ridiculous, improvised song about baked goods.

Penny laughs into her palm at the sight, and Marinette grins at her reaction. She looks like she's in love.

"So, what's it like working with a star like Jagged?" Sabine asks after putting the tray of croissants on the nearby counter. "He seems like a good person."

"He's amazing," Penny replies dreamily. She suddenly freezes before frantically clicking her pen and scribbling nonsense all over her clipboard. She clears her throat and answers monotonously, "I-I mean, he's—yes. He's a good person. Very nice."

Sabine and Marinette give each other a knowing look before chuckling between themselves.

* * *

"Oh, come on! Are you going to finally put cheese on that bread or what? Since when do _you_ have any interest in this show?"

Adrien and Plagg are in the former's bedroom, comfortably watching the live episode of _Fill My Shoes_ on the couch. An assortment of cheese sits on the coffee table before them, practically forcing Plagg to watch the program with his holder.

"I just thought I'd support Jagged Stone, that's all," Adrien replies.

"Yo, Marinette!" Jagged Stone suddenly exclaims onscreen, making Adrien's face blanch. "Come on over and rock out with us!"

The camera pans over to Marinette, who waves nervously at the camera while making her way over to the celebrity. Adrien's face turns the slightest bit of pink at the sight of her, prompting Plagg to tease him for it.

"Oh, yeah," Plagg smirks. "You're _definitely_ watching for Jagged Stone."

"Shut up," Adrien scowls, sinking into his seat. Plagg can only howl with laughter at his holder's not-so-subtle crush.

* * *

"It's so cool that we get to spend the day together. Marinette's really talented, Alec!" Jagged exclaims. "She's the one who did the artwork for my latest album!"

"Impressive! A true family of artists—a talented young designer and a gifted pâtissier!" Alec says, dubbing Marinette as the former, and Tom the latter. "So, what are you baking for us today, Tom?"

"How does chocolate croissants sound?" Tom asks, earning cheers of approval from Alec and Jagged. "Marinette, can you quickly grab a bag of flour for us please?"

"Of course, Dad," Marinette smiles.

Marinette turns around to grab a bag, accidentally knocking over a wooden bread peel. She lets out a yelp and dives forward to catch it, failing to see the half-filled bag of flour resting right on top of it. This causes the bag to fly up into the air and fall land on Jagged's head, covering him in white from head to toe.

"_Ah_! Jagged—I'm _so_, _so_ sorry, I—" Marinette apologizes frantically.

"Hey!" Jagged grins as he observes the flour coating his clothing. "I look like a ghost! Too cool!"

"Making pastries is obviously no piece of cake! Stay tuned; we'll be right back after this commercial break!" Alec says, throwing an arm over Jagged.

"And… cut!" the cameraman signals.

"I'm sorry, Jagged," Marinette frowns. "I'm such a klutz." She shivers upon saying those words—hearing or saying the word _klutz_ is enough to remind her of a certain blond-haired boy.

"No worries," the man smiles, giving her a thumbs up.

"Can you tell me where the washroom is, please?" Penny asks, dusting some flour off of Jagged's clothes.

"Right upstairs," Marinette replies.

"Thank you," Penny says, leading Jagged up the stairs.

"Come on," Tom says, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. He laughs, "You have some cleaning up to do."

With a laugh and a nod, Marinette makes her way over to the cleaning supplies closet in the corner of the room. She grabs a dustpan and a broom to sweep up her mess, while her parents have gone to the back of the bakery to grab the ingredients needed to make a delicious dozen of chocolate croissants.

"Alec, we're back in thirty seconds!" the cameraman exclaims in a panic.

"Already? Where's Jagged?" Alec asks.

"He's in the washroom upstairs," Marinette chimes in.

"Thank you," Alec says. "We'll just have to shoot upstairs, then. Nothing wrong with improvising."

Alec leads the Bob Roth and the camera crew up the stairs, leaving Tom and Sabine a little worried.

"We should've limited the crew to the bakery only," Sabine says regretfully. "I just don't feel comfortable with them walking around our home."

"It'll be fine, Mom," Marinette reassures. "They'll be back down before we know it! They just need Jagged in the shot before heading back down."

Marinette picks up the dustpan and broom, returning them to their rightful spots in the closet. She dusts her hands after closing it shut, making her way over to the back of the bakery to help her parents with whatever is keeping them occupied.

"It seems our baker's daughter has got a little crush—and on one half of Paris' superhero duo, no less!"

Marinette freezes at the mention of her name. She whips her head around and rushes over to the TV displaying the live stream, clutching at the sides of the monitor in a panic. The camera is pointing at the large collection of posters she has of the one and only Chat Noir.

"No, no, no, no, _no_!" she screams before sprinting up the stairs.

"Marinette?" Sabine asks as her daughter zips right past her.

"_No, no, no, no_—" Marinette cries as she rushes up the stairs two steps at a time.

"Calm down, Marinette!" Tikki exclaims as she phases through the floor above to fly by her holder's side. "It's not a big deal!"

"It is to me!" Marinette argues. "I don't care about my classmates or random strangers knowing, I care about _Chat Noir_ knowing! He might think I'm some obsessed fan! Or worse—he might figure out I like him!"

"Isn't that what you want?" Tikki asks, following her holder up the ivory stairs to her room.

"I-I do," Marinette says. "But I want to get him to like Ladybug, too. I'm not even _near_ that, so I need to hide this crush as best as I can until then!"

Marinette throws open her trapdoor, face flushed with embarrassment and eyes wide with panic.

"What are you guys doing in here?!" Marinette yells.

"I'm sorry, Marinette," Penny says. "We couldn't find the washroom and ended up in here."

"Marinette, do you want me to sign this poster you have of me?" Jagged asks enthusiastically, pointing over at the cardboard cut-out standing in the corner of the room.

"No! I just need everyone to leave!" Marinette cries desperately. "And you, stop filming! Ugh, Penny, do something _please_!"

Penny puts on a fierce face, and nods. "You heard her," she says firmly, herding everyone out the door. While doing so, her foot gets caught between some cords, causing two cables to unplug from the camera.

"Penny, you just cut us off the air!" the cameraman says.

"S-sorry about that," Penny says, lowering herself to grab the cable.

"No, Penny, get them out of here first!" Marinette cries as she points down to her trapdoor. "This is a complete invasion of my privacy, I just want this to be over!"

"Penny, give me that cable! We're live!" Alec demands, holding out a hand.

"Penny, was that flour organic? You know I'm allergic to the non-organic flour," Jagged says, sneezing into his arm.

"Penny, do you realize we've got no picture?" Bob asks angrily. "Our ratings were soaring, too!"

The assistant can feel her entire frame shaking from all the stress. Her eyes shift from one face to the other, her mind wondering whose words she should follow. She drops the cable and clutches the sides of her head to try to block out the noise, but it seems like everyone's voices just keep getting louder.

"Penny, we—"

"Penny, I—"

"Penny, please just—"

"Penny—!"

"_Stop_!" Penny yells, and the whole room goes dead silent at her outburst. "That's enough! All of you, back downstairs, now!"

"But—" Jagged tries.

"I said _out_!" Penny says, pushing everyone out of the room.

Once everyone has exited the room, Penny forcefully slams the trapdoor shut, but not before giving Marinette an apologetic look. Marinette sinks to the ground, hands over her face as she goes over fifteen different scenarios in her head.

"What if Chat Noir was watching and saw all those posters?!" Marinette cries, curling up into a ball.

"It's not too much of a big deal, Marinette," Tikki comforts. "Paris loves Chat Noir! He'll probably just think you're another fan of his."

"Tikki, he comes by to visit sometimes, and _Marinette_ has captured akumas with him in the past," Marinette says, burying her face in her hands. "I wouldn't be freaking out this much if we _barely_ talked, but we've interacted enough times to make it possible for me to develop a crush on him! This live broadcast just exposed me completely! How can I face him now?!"

"There's still a slight chance that he missed it," Tikki says optimistically.

"I doubt that very much," Marinette grumbles as she pulls herself back up on her feet. She makes her way over to her desktop and presses the _Power_ button on her monitor to watch the rest of the show.

"_How dare you?!_" Sabine thunders the moment the screen turns on.

Marinette's jaw drops when Sabine grabs a bread peel and performs swift, martial arts defensive maneuvers with clean twirls of her staff. She finishes by slapping the peel on the wooden floors, and pointing it at an intimidated Bob Roth.

"_I demand an apology!_" Sabine shouts. "_This is _our_ home—_you_ have no right to decide what we can and can't do_!"

"M-Mom?" Marinette asks in surprise.

"_Darling, what are you_—" Tom starts.

He's soon interrupted by the violent strum of an electric guitar, followed by Bob's cry of pain. A silver guitar suddenly falls into his hands, making Bob's look of confusion turn into one of anger.

"_Hey! What's the big idea?!_" Bob thunders.

"_I could pretend that this isn't bothering me, but now you've gone too far!_" Tom retorts, pushing his forehead against Bob's.

"Dad?" Marinette asks, leaning closer to the screen. "What's gotten into them?"

Marinette can only watch hopelessly as a mess forms in the bakery from a source unknown. A flour sack gets thrown over Jagged, cables tangle around Alec's legs causing him to fall to the floor, the doors repeatedly open and close, random baking equipment and ingredients are being tossed around, and the many stand mixers go off all at once. The bakery is in a state of complete disaster by the time it's all done, making Marinette's parents and their guests cry out for help. Their cries fall on deaf ears when the bakery's security system shuts down on all doors and windows, trapping them all inside.

A woman clad in violets, fuchsias and whites suddenly phases from the ceiling, landing right next to Jagged Stone.

"_Hello, Jagged_," she smirks, throwing an arm over the terrified musician.

"_Who are you?! Where's Penny?!_" Jagged asks in a panic, pushing her arm off of his shoulder and taking a couple of steps back.

"_There's no more Penny to deal with all your problems, Jagged. From now on, there's only Troublemaker_!" the akumatized victim announces. She clicks her ballpoint pen and vanishes, making everyone in the room gasp, before clicking her pen and reappearing. "_With me around, your life will be filled with nothing but problems_."

"Oh, no," Marinette says, eyebrows furrowed with worry and distress. "We must've stressed Penny out a little too much."

"That made her the perfect victim for Hawkmoth," Tikki gulps. "And a powerful one at that."

"We've got to bring an end to this," Marinette says, getting up from her seat. "TIKKI, TRANSFORM ME!"

A flash of pink later, Ladybug hurries up the ladder to her rooftop balcony just in time to see Chat Noir going up against Troublemaker in hand-to-hand combat. She can see the frustration on his face whenever he fails to land a punch because of the villain's famous disappearing acts. It's when Troublemaker grabs him by the collar and attempts to flip him over in hopes of smashing his head against the concrete does Ladybug step in.

She gets up onto the balcony's railings and throws her yoyo at her rival, letting out a pleased hum when her yoyo wraps around his amr. She pulls at the string with all her might, a sigh of relief escaping her lips to see him get launched into the air, just barely missing the hard concrete. Chat Noir gets pulled up onto the balcony, his arms crossed and face straight as he lands upside-down on Marinette's pink beach chair.

"Looks like I came right on time," Ladybug says, hopping off the railings.

"Always a joy to see you, My Lady," Chat Noir replies sarcastically.

Ladybug huffs before making her way over to the trapdoor and jumping right through it. Chat Noir follows her without a word, landing on Marinette's warm, plush bed. The first thing he notices is the large collection of Chat Noir posters and photographs taped to the cotton candy pink walls. A lot of them are photos ripped out of the _Tout sur Chat Noir_ magazine, and others are stolen shots Alya must've taken and printed out for her. The famous curse-breaking class picture with Juleka in the middle is taped onto the wall as well, but the picture under that one is what sends Chat Noir's heart flying.

It's a stolen shot of Adrien and Marinette arguing in the fountain at the park, both soaking wet from head to toe. He remembers that day vividly—he had a photoshoot scheduled at the park, and his photographer, Vincent, had suggested that Marinette join the shoot for "romantic" effect. They ended up pushing each other into the fountain, arguing over who started it first.

Chat Noir laughs at the memory, catching Ladybug's attention. Her face contorts in panic as she dives forward, blocking the photos from view.

"U-uh, how about we _not_ invade Marinette's privacy anymore than the show already has?" Ladybug says, laughing nervously.

Chat Noir opens his mouth to say something, but words never come out. He listens closely, his cat ears twitching at the slightest sound, making him turn his head to find Troublemaker one floor below looking right up at them.

Troublemaker hurls four knitting needles at them, and Chat Noir quickly raises Marinette's mattress to block the attack. With a click of her pen, Troublemaker vanishes into thin air, making the superheroes look around the room frantically. Ladybug and Chat Noir jump off the bed, landing on the main floor back to back to prepare for any incoming attacks.

Troublemaker soon reappears by the lounge chair in the corner of the room and launches its red umbrella in their direction. The two heroes effortlessly dodge the attack, angering the villain and getting her throw the lounge chair itself at them. They manage to move out of the way just in time to find themselves standing right in front of Troublemaker. They swing their weapons at her, but she disappears once more, making them cry out in frustration.

While looking around the room, Chat Noir seems Troublemaker appear right behind Ladybug, her hands outstretched, ready to rip Ladybug's earring right off her earlobes.

"_Look out_!" Chat Noir alerts his rival. He trips Ladybug with one foot, and then goes on to strike Troublemaker's wrist with his silver staff.

Troublemaker lets go of her pen as a result, clutching her throbbing wrist with her other hand as she watches her item fly across the room before hitting the wall and landing pathetically onto the floor.

"Get that pen!" Ladybug exclaims, scrambling to her feet to get to it.

Ladybug, Chat Noir and Troublemaker all dive forward to try to grab the pen, each throwing a hand over the item to claim ownership. Unfortunately, Troublemaker has the best grip over it, and she clicks it, laughing maniacally as she disappears once more. This action is enough to make Ladybug groan and make Chat Noir slam his fist against the floor angrily.

"Are you kidding me?!" he screams, ready to rip all his hair out.

"At least we can say her strength is also her weakness," Ladybug says. "She can't touch us while invisible."

Ladybug and Chat Noir get back up on their feet, not realizing that their hands are intertwined.

"Why are you holding my hand?!" Chat Noir yells, retreating as if burned.

"I wasn't!" Ladybug yells back, flustered. She shakes her head and hurries out of the room in embarrassment as Chat Noir follows closely behind.

Ladybug and Chat Noir find themselves in the kitchen, back to back once more as they look around the room.

"Keep your eyes open, she can appear anywhere," Ladybug says.

"You're absolutely right!" Troublemaker's voice echoes as she appears right between them.

Troublemaker kicks Ladybug out of the way, making her tumble to floor, her yoyo's strings all tangled around her. Chat Noir throws his fist at her, aiming for her face, but the akumatized victim grabs his wrist and twists it behind his back. Fearing for the worst, Chat Noir activates his Cataclysm, smirking when he hears Troublemaker's cry of anger.

"One touch and you crumble into pieces. Want to give it a try?" Chat Noir teases.

Troublemaker lets go of his wrist out of fear, instead opting to kick him into the nearby bookshelf before charging at Ladybug. Chat Noir loses his balance and falls forward, his hand emanating the dark glow of Cataclysm coming in contact with it. The shelf turns into dust, hardcover books hitting every part of him and making him yelp in pain.

Ladybug lets out groan after groan as Troublemaker repeatedly lands successful blows at her, while she fails to hit her even once. It's practically impossible to do so with such a powerful akumatized item. Ladybug throws her hands in front of her face when Troublemaker charges right at her, but she disappears before she can slam into her. Before Ladybug can even react, Troublemaker kicks her down to the floor, pinning her arms over her head.

Ladybug's eyes widen when Troublemaker manages to rip off one of Ladybug's earrings.

"You made this _too_ easy," Troublemaker cackles.

Ladybug panics when she feels herself de-transforming. She looks up at her wrist and her ankles to see pink sparkles slowly melting her costume away. A flash of pink appears by her mask, its bright light forcing her to squint her eyes from the brightness. All she can think of in this moment is how it's all over—Hawkmoth finally won.

Ladybug gasps when a book suddenly hits Troublemaker on the side of her head, causing her to groan and whip her head in the direction the book came from. Ladybug follows her gaze, an excited gasp escaping her lips to find Chat Noir holding an enormous hardcover cookbook in his hands.

"A hundred and forty-eight pages not painful enough, huh?" Chat Noir asks, lifting the book in his hands above his head. "Then how about five hundred and thirteen?!"

Chat Noir gathers up all his strength and hurls the book at the villain, who makes the grave mistake of clicking her pen in order to dodge.

"_No_!" Troublemaker cries as Ladybug's earring doesn't phase with her.

The polka-dotted earring tumbles to the floor, and a now free Ladybug hurriedly retrieves it. She puts it back on, placing a hand on her chest and sighing in relief as her transformation recompletes itself.

"Now, _that_ was close," Chat Noir says as he approaches his rival. "I would've hated it if this was how our identity reveal went down. I don't know about you, but I'm expecting it to be pretty grand."

"I'm with you on that," Ladybug sighs. She then gives him a small smile, "Thank you for helping me out."

"It was nothing," he says nonchalantly, waving a hand. "Don't make a big deal out of it."

Ladybug just smiles even wider.

"Well, better get your Lucky Charm ready before she tries to steal your Miraculous again," Chat Noir says.

"_And_ get my tally mark ready," Ladybug winks.

"Don't remind me," Chat Noir grumbles. "I was on a roll, too."

"LUCKY CHARM!" Ladybug exclaims, suppressing her laugh. A red and black polka-dotted plate cracked in half falls into her hands, making her ask aloud, "What am I supposed to do with… this?"

"Do you think losing an earring weakened your power?" Chat Noir suggests.

"It couldn't have," Ladybug says, looking around the room in hopes of catching a ladybug-printed pattern, but she sees nothing. Maybe her power _has_ weakened.

"Well," Chat Noir says, clapping his hands. "While you're busy trying to figure it out, I'll try my chances at defeating Troublemaker, with or without Cataclysm. Good day."

While walking towards the white staircase to Marinette's room, Chat Noir accidentally steps on a tube of super glue that must've fallen to the floor when the bookshelf crumbled. He mutters an "oops" and picks it up, ready to place it on top of a counter, when the item is swiped right out of his hand.

"My power _is_ working! It was a clue to the glue!" Ladybug exclaims, twisting the tube open. "Give me your hand!"

"_What_?" Chat Noir asks. Before he can even protest, Ladybug grabs his hand and squeezes some glue next to his black ring. "What are you doing?!"

"Sh!" she hushes, placing a finger to her lips. She lets go of his hand one her work is done, handing him the tube of glue. She points a finger to one of her earrings, asking, "Do you mind?"

* * *

Chat Noir kicks the trapdoor open and jumps into Marinette's room, Ladybug nowhere to be seen.

"Come out a face me, Troublemaker!" Chat Noir calls out. "Ladybug's powers went down the moment you took one of her earrings off. It's just you and me now!"

A cackle resounds from above him, and Chat Noir leaps out of the way when Troublemaker appears before him. He takes out his silver staff and tries to fight the villain as best as he can, but he soon finds himself faceplanting the floor, his arm twisted behind his back a second time.

"Since you already used up your Cataclysm, I'll have no trouble taking your ring," Troublemaker snickers, grabbing at his ring. Her face quickly turns into one of confusion when the ring doesn't move an inch. "Wh-what?!"

"Having some trouble?" Chat Noir mocks, closing his fist to make it even harder to get the ring off.

Troublemaker twists his arm even more, making Chat Noir yelp out in pain. "Alright, no more jokes!" she thunders. "You better find a way to get that ring off, or I'll break your arm!"

"You don't scare me with your bluff," Chat Noir counters.

"Want to bet I'm bluffing?" Troublemaker challenges.

Gnashing his teeth, Chat Noir uses his free hand to throw his staff at the wall, making it rebound and hit Troublemaker in the wrist holding the akumatized item. The pen falls out of her grasp, but Troublemaker barely spares it a glance as it rolls across the floor.

"Was that supposed to do something to me?" Troublemaker scoffs, feeling Chat Noir's arm throbbing under her grasp. "With Ladybug gone, I have nothing to worry about—"

"Who said I was gone?" a voice asks from above.

Troublemaker looks up, gasping to see Ladybug sitting on the rails of the loft holding the bed.

"Ladybug?! But I thought—" Troublemaker begins.

"Oh, come _on_, don't tell me you _actually_ believed me," Chat Noir guffaws.

Troublemaker takes a quick glance at the pen sitting a few feet away and runs for it, kicking herself off of Chat Noir. Ladybug all but performs a flip in the air, landing right on top of the pen, breaking it into pieces.

"_No_!" Troublemaker cries, her entire being enveloping in a black and violet cloud.

A butterfly black as coal flies out of the broken item, and Ladybug twirls her yoyo around, catching it and painting it white as snow.

"Bye bye, little butterfly," Chat Noir says, beating her to it. Ladybug sticks her tongue out at him childishly before grabbing her Lucky Charm, which she safely places on the bed.

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" Ladybug exclaims, throwing the broken plate into the air. Magical ladybugs fly around the entire bakery and home, fixing all damage and restoring everything to its former glory.

"Wh-what happened?" Penny asks, looking around the room in a confusion. "Where's everyone? Are they all right?"

"You're always so thoughtful and helpful, putting others before yourself," Ladybug says, kneeling down to place a hand on the assistant's shoulder. "Let's worry about _Penny_ for a change. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Thank you, Ladybug, Chat Noir," Penny says with a smile.

Warning beeps resound from Ladybug's earrings and Chat Noir's ring, surprising both heroes. They give each other a nod before making their way towards the balcony above them.

"Everyone should be waiting for you in the bakery. See you," Chat Noir says before disappearing beyond the trapdoor.

"Take care of yourself, too, Penny," Ladybug says, following her rival.

Ladybug finds Chat Noir waiting for her on the balcony, taking her somewhat by surprise. She figures that he wants to tease her one last time before leaving for home, when he suddenly holds up a closed fist.

"Uh, good work today," Chat Noir says awkwardly.

"What's this?" Ladybug asks in surprise, glancing down at his fist, then back up at his face.

"A fist bump," he answers.

"R-really?" she asks, clearly taken aback.

"…Yeah."

Chat Noir has _never_ initiated a fist bump with _Ladybug_—it's always been her in the past. Her fist bumps were always brushed off or bluntly rejected, she never imagined the day would come that _he_ would be the one to ask for one.

"Don't leave me hanging," Chat Noir smirks.

"O-oh!" Ladybug exclaims, making wild gestures with her arms before slowly bringing her fist up to bump his.

"Pound it!" they exclaim in unison, Ladybug's heart soaring at the smile Chat Noir shoots her afterwards.

"Better hurry before we de-transform," Chat Noir says. "See you later for patrol?"

"See you later," Ladybug nods.

Chat Noir is the first to leave; she watches as he extends his staff and vaults himself off the balcony. Once he's out of sight completely, Ladybug jumps back through the trapdoor, letting her transformation go when her feet hit the bed.

"Seems like Chat Noir's starting to get a little soft spot for Ladybug," Tikki giggles as she munches on a chocolate chip cookie in Marinette's purse.

"You think so?" Marinette asks as she climbs down the ladder to get to the lower level. Her kwami merely chuckles as she continues eating her snack.

Marinette rushes down the stairs to get back to the bakery, leaping into her parents' arms.

"Mom! Dad!" she exclaims, hugging them.

"Marinette, thank goodness you're all right," Sabine says, placing a hand over her chest as she sighs in relief.

"Were you hiding?" Tom asks.

Marinette nods. "In the washroom," she answers. "I got out once I heard Ladybug performed _Miraculous Ladybug_."

"We were so worried," Tom says.

The creaking of the entrance door catches their attention, and a nervous Penny walks right through, words of apology just barely at the edge of her lips. However, before she can even utter a word, Jagged Stone runs over to her and traps her in a tight hug, causing her to drop the pen and clipboard in her hands.

"Penny!" Jagged exclaims, hugging her tighter. "I'm so glad you're all right!"

"J-Jagged?" Penny stammers.

"What would I do without you?" Jagged asks, letting her go to look into her eyes. "Next time, let me know when something's troubling you. We'll get through it together, okay?"

"Okay," Penny smiles, closing her eyes and pulling him in for another hug.

Penny opens her eyes for a moment to send Marinette a smile, who can only smile back and give her a thumbs up.

* * *

Later that evening finds Marinette leaning over the railings of her rooftop balcony, head drooped, with nothing but heavy sighs escaping her lips into the crisp nighttime air.

Marinette screams internally knowing that there's a _slight_ chance that Chat Noir tuned in to watch the _Fill My Shoes_ Special, and yet, thinking about that one chance is enough to make her lose her mind. If he did tune in, he _must_ have seen all the posters of him displayed around her bedroom.

She didn't mind that her classmates saw; all of Paris loved the hero. To them, it's just a teenage girl with a big celebrity crush. But she's close to Chat Noir as both Ladybug and Marinette—it's going to be hard trying to keep her cool knowing that he's found out about her crush on him.

"Now, I know never to have a tv show filmed at our house again," she whispers to herself. "I should've known that agreeing to it was just asking for trouble."

"I don't know, it was a fun watch, if I do say so myself."

Marinette's eyes widen at the voice, and she whips her head around to find Chat Noir standing on her chimney. He performs a graceful flip in the air, landing right in front of her.

"Ch-Chat Noir," Marinette says with a nervous laugh, her back bumping into the railings when she took a step back out of surprise. "What brings you here?"

"I saw you in the distance, thought I'd stop by to check up on you," Chat Noir replies simply.

"Check up on me?" Marinette asks.

"You looked a little frustrated? Embarrassed?" Chat Noir asks with uncertainty. "I got a little worried."

"O-oh, that's kind of you," Marinette says with pink cheeks.

"So, what's on your mind?" Chat Noir asks, walking over to her.

"U-uh…!" Marinette panics, backing up, which turns out to be a big mistake. Clumsy as she is, she nearly flips over the balcony's railings, a scream escaping her lips as she flails her arms in hopes of catching her balance.

Chat Noir grabs one of her wrists and pulls her forward, making her slam into his chest. Marinette can only look up at him pathetically as her face burns bright red.

"You really should be careful," Chat Noir says, helping her stand straight, while hoping that she didn't feel the rapid beating of his heart.

Marinette yelps and jumps back as if burned, making the superhero raise an eyebrow.

"Are you all right?" Chat Noir asks.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Marinette answers with a smile that's a little too wide.

"Oh, I don't know," Chat Noir says. He then smirks, "Maybe it has a little something to do with that _Fill My Shoes_ Special?"

Marinette blanches.

"You saw that?" she asks, wanting so much to sink into the ground.

"I did," Chat Noir laughs. "I've got to say—I'm quite flattered."

"Really?" Marinette asks. "You're not making fun of me, are you?"

"I'm not," he replies honestly. Chat Noir laughs, "May I ask _why_ you have all those posters, though?"

Marinette freezes. "Uh—"

"You don't have a little _crush_ on me, do you?" Chat Noir teases, moving close to her face until he's only a few inches away.

"Chat!" Marinette exclaims while flustered, pushing him away.

"I'm just messing with you," Chat Noir laughs.

"The posters _aren't_ what you think! U-um, well, you see," Marinette says quietly with pink cheeks. "I'm on Team Chat."

"Are you?" Chat Noir asks with a smile. Adrien's known that Marinette's been on Team Chat for a while now, but hearing it directly from her makes him feel all the more happier.

"I am," Marinette nods. "There are plenty of things about you that I admire."

"What might those things be?" Chat Noir pokes.

"That's something I'd rather keep to myself," she laughs. "But just so you leave a little satisfied, part of the reason why is because I really like talking you. Your visits always make my night."

"Glad to hear that," Chat Noir says. "I was starting to worry that you were getting annoyed with me stopping by all the time."

"I would never," Marinette says.

Chat Noir and Marinette eventually find themselves wrapped in a comfortable silence. It wasn't as awkward as she thought it was going to be, she thinks, and that's when she remembers why she liked Chat Noir so much; no matter the situation, things could never be awkward with him. He's playful and easy-going, with high emotional intelligence. He knows when he's gone too far, and he knows what to say and how to act so that the other person doesn't feel bad or embarrassed after a certain situation. Sure, how he acts with Ladybug can be up for debate, but he's never afraid to admit when he's wrong, and he always has an apology ready and laid out for her to accept.

"Do you have patrol with Ladybug tonight?" Marinette asks, breaking the silence.

"I do," Chat Noir nods, looking off in the direction of the Eiffel Tower. "Every night, unless an akuma attack happens that same evening. Hawkmoth needs some sleep, too."

"Can you imagine having an akuma attacks at two in the morning? That'd be a nightmare," Marinette laughs. She hesitates before continuing, "So… you and Ladybug still have this rivalry thing going on, huh?"

"We'll always be rivals," Chat Noir says, making her shoulders droop ever so slightly. "But that doesn't mean I can't be a little nicer to her."

Marinette jumps at his words, turning her head to look at him. "H-huh?" she bumbles.

"Let's just say I haven't been the nicest person to her," Chat Noir says, scratching the back of his head. "And let's just say I felt a little bad when she brought it up. I thought I'd try my hand at being a little less mean. She's a good person; she deserves it."

Marinette's thoughts go back to that one night—it was during the events of Despair Bear, where Ladybug felt jealous of Chat Noir's unexpected kindness towards Chloe. She never would have thought that he would take her words seriously.

"I think Ladybug would appreciate that very much," Marinette smiles, and he shoots her a smile of his own.

"I should head out for patrol now," Chat Noir says, stretching his arms. "Try to get some rest. It must've been a hectic day for you."

"Tell me about it," Marinette sighs. "Good night, Chat Noir. It was nice talking to you as usual."

"Likewise," he nods.

Before taking his leave, Chat Noir looks back at Marinette and gives her his best smile.

"Oh, and just so you know… I'm happy to know that you're on Team Chat."

With that, he jumps off her balcony and onto a nearby rooftop, his figure disappearing into the darkness as he runs across buildings and townhouses to get to his and Ladybug's usual meet-up spot.

But all Marinette knows is that she'll be thinking about their conversation for the next few days because he's said wonderful things about _both_ Ladybug and Marinette. She soon realizes that she doesn't know which topic filled her with more excitement—the fact that he said he'd be nicer to Ladybug, or the fact that he said that he's glad to have Marinette on his side.

"And you were so scared," Tikki giggles, poking her head out of her holder's purse. "Told you there was nothing to worry about."

"Yeah… you were right," Marinette smiles. "Ready to meet him for patrol, Tikki?"

"Ready," the kwami nods.

There's a flash of pink amidst the midnight darkness that lasts no more than a few seconds, the familiar whirring of a yoyo resounding as Ladybug swings through the night. She hurries to the Eiffel Tower, an excited grin on face, knowing that someone waits for her at the very top.

"Hey, Ladybug," Chat Noir says upon her arrival.

Ladybug takes the seat next to him, oblivious to the fact that she's sitting a little closer than usual. Chat Noir _does_ notice this, and while he would normally tease her for it, he laughs to himself and lets it go.

Just for tonight.

_end card_

* * *

**A/N:** I just _had_ to add that last LadyNoir scene in there. I began Chat Noir's relationship development with Ladybug in _Glaciator_, so I hope enough time has passed for his development to feel natural!

This episode was a bit of a pain to write because I wasn't a fan of the _Troublemaker_ episode in the original show, but I am quite excited to write about _Gigantitan_ next! I didn't like that episode all too much either, but it'll be reversed this time, meaning that _Adrien_ is the one hoping to plan out a lovely afternoon with Marinette. The original show always portrayed the adorable friendship between Marinette and the girls, while it seemed like the boys didn't really have that much between them. I'm hoping to write a nice episode with great interactions between Adrien and a few select boys from the class.

Thank you once again for the favorites and alerts, and of course the kind reviews! I recognized a few familiar pen names from _Who Needs Love?_ and I just have to let you guys know that I'm so, so happy that you're here to read the sequel, too! I poured so much love into rewriting Season 1, I hope you can feel the same for Season 2's rewrite. :)

Thank you for reading!

**Akuma Capture:  
****Ladybug: 2  
****Chat Noir: 4**

_Next Episode: Gigantitan_


	7. Gigantitan: Taking Candy from a Baby

**Who Needs You?**

_Episode 06_

Gigantitan: Like Taking Candy from a Baby

"Adrien likes Marinette."

"_Alya!_"

Adrien has a photoshoot scheduled that very day at the Trocadéro fountains, but after some miscommunication between himself and his photographer, he arrived about an hour and a half too early. He called up Nino, Max, Ivan, and Kim, asking them if they were free to meet up with him to help kill some time, to which they all said they'd be right there.

Nino and Alya had a breakfast date that morning, which explains the scarlet-haired girl's unexpected presence. Adrien didn't mind this, since she was a friend of his as well, but if he had known she'd come to expose his secret-but-not-so-secret crush on Marinette, then maybe he wouldn't have welcomed her with such open arms.

The mid-day sun shines bright this afternoon, the skies blue without a single white cloud in sight. The weather is warm with a slight breeze, making it the perfect day for a hang-out with friends, some alone time at the park, sight-seeing around the city—

—and of course, a date.

"Your crush on her is, uh, kind of obvious, Adrien," Ivan says in the softest way possible despite his gruff voice.

"Wait… really?" Adrien blanches.

"I am quite positive that everyone—save for Marinette herself—is aware of this attraction you have towards her," Max nods, pushing his glasses up.

"Hold up!" Kim exclaims. "Adrien likes Marinette?!"

Everyone minus Kim slap their foreheads, sighing in exasperation.

"And it seems Kim was oblivious to this fact as well," Max says, rolling his eyes at his friend.

"Does _she_ know?" Adrien asks nervously. "Have I been indirectly rejected several times without even knowing?"

"Don't worry, she doesn't have a single clue," Alya laughs, slapping him on the back. "Trust me—I know everything about this girl. And that's exactly why you need me for today."

"What are we doing today?" Adrien asks, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"We," Nino says, gesturing over to the rest of the group, "are going to set you and Marinette up on a date."

"_What?!_" Adrien yells, throwing a hand over his mouth after realizing how loud his reaction was. "Are you guys _insane_?! She'll never say yes!"

"There's a slight chance she will!" Alya argues.

"I don't think any of you have realized this, but my friendship with Marinette is founded on a love-hate rivalry kind of thing," Adrien says. "I can barely have a normal conversation with her, what more when I ask her out on a _date_?"

"Then, we'll make it look like you two bumped into each other by coincidence," Alya shrugs. "You have photoshoots on Sundays, and today, she just so happened to invite me to meet her right at this very spot."

"And besides," Nino grins, fixing his baseball cap. "We have a _plan_."

"Oh, no," Adrien says, facepalming.

"So, here's what we're going to do," Alya says, clapping her hands together. "_You_ are going to tell your driver to pick you up a little later so at least we know he'll be out of the way."

"That's doable," Adrien says.

"But just to be sure he doesn't come too early and hang around, Nino will go ahead and plant a _No Parking_ sign," Alya explains. "Max will inform security of an illegally-parked car in the case this happens."

"And _how_ will you be getting a _No Parking_ sign?" Adrien asks, eyebrow raised.

"We have our ways," Nino says.

"So, Marinette and I are supposed to meet approximately ten minutes after your photoshoot. I'm going to call her and cancel last minute, so she'll be all by herself at Trocadéro fountains. That's where _you_ come in, all like," Alya clears her throat and deepens her voice, "_Marinette! What a coincidence!_"

Adrien furrows his eyebrows at Alya's imitation of him. "I do _not_ sound like that—" he begins.

"Oh! And then you both go all like _I hate you, you jerk!_ and _So do I, you klutz!_" Kim mocks, earning laughs from the rest of the group. Adrien can only scowl at his friends.

"As I was saying," Alya continues. "Marinette and I had plans to hang out so I can help her find inspiration for her latest designs. _You_ will be taking my place."

"Does that mean—" Adrien gulps.

"That you'll get to spend the whole day with her? Most likely. Just until she finds that inspiration," Alya grins. "While she's busy sketching, Kim, in disguise, will jump out of nowhere and swipe her pencil case. It looks like a wallet, so you won't have to worry about the whole thing looking stupid. You'll go chase after Kim—"

"Wait, wait, wait. Do you really think I can catch up to _Kim_?" Adrien asks, pointing at the jock. "He's the fastest runner in our class!"

"Obviously, he'll slow down for you so you can catch him," Alya laughs. "And that's where Ivan comes in. He'll be dressed as a police officer and take Kim away."

"You have a police uniform ready, too?" Adrien asks incredulously.

"Halloween costume shops are always super cheap in the summer," Nino says.

"And finally," Alya continues. "All you have to do is ask her what she's working on, and once she answers you, offer to tag along. She won't be able to say no after you got her pencil case back for her. And done! You have a date."

"I don't think I can do this," Adrien says nervously.

"How can you when it sounds so _boring_," Kim scoffs. "Why don't we have Adrien rescue Marinette from an incoming car instead? That always works in action movies!"

"Um, because we don't have a car? Or a driver's license? And because that's _dangerous_?" Alya says in disbelief.

"Then what about a runaway rickshaw?" Kim asks excitedly.

"No," Alya says flatly.

"Maybe you can sing her a song!" Ivan suggests before proceeding to screech, giving tribute to one of his favorite heavy metal bands.

"Ivan, we are _not_—" Alya tries, placing her hands over her ears to block out the noise.

"Nah, dude, your music choice isn't exactly the best," Nino tells Ivan, who huffs angrily. "_This_ is what should be played!" Nino proceeds to take his phone out and blasts a romantic ballad, making his girlfriend want to tear her hair out.

"_Nino_," Alya scolds like a mother would her child. "_Don't_ encourage this."

"Or perhaps you can present to her a lovely arrangements of flowers?" Max offers, scrolling through his phone. "It says right here that in a survey taken by two hundred women, eighty-three percent agreed that receiving flowers on the first date—"

"Woah, woah! Are you trying to scare her?" Alya asks. "Marinette may love flowers, but that's a _little_ much."

"Yeah, that's why we should get Adrien to rescue Marinette from a runaway rickshaw!" Kim exclaims. "It's a lot more natural than some random guy stealing her stuff."

"Kim, how is a runaway rickshaw more common than petty thievery?" Alya asks, massaging her temples.

"I still think Adrien should sing her a song," Ivan chimes in.

"Why should he sing when there are thousands of songs to choose from on the Internet?" Nino argues. "Serenading her is even weirder than flowers and an orchestrated near-death experience!"

"_Enough_!" Adrien shouts, making his whole group of friends fall silent. "We'll go with Alya's plan, and that's that."

"But—" Nino, Max, Ivan, and Kim begin.

"No buts," Adrien says. "Alya is Marinette's best friend. She knows what she likes, so I trust her the most."

Alya smirks in triumph at the boys, who all grumble to themselves about how _their_ plan is the better one.

Adrien phone suddenly goes off, and he answers it upon seeing the name _Photographer Vincent_. After a quick exchange of words, he shuts his phone and tells his group of friends, "That was my photographer. I've got to go, but I'll see you guys later when our plan goes into action. I trust you guys!"

With that, Adrien bids farewell to his friends and walks off to get his photoshoot over with. He meets Vincent by a ramp that offers a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. After greeting each other politely, Vincent throws himself to the ground, making awkward poses as he looks for the perfect angle. Several minutes into the photoshoot, Adrien starts getting nervous when he catches a glimpse of the time on his photographer's watch. He might be a little late.

"Smile!" Vincent exclaims, snapping a photo when Adrien forces himself to smile even wider. "Brighter, happier! Like you're looking at the girl you like!"

At this, Adrien's face turns bright red, and his face falls into one that can only be described as a mix of flustered, bashful, and embarrassed.

"No, no! Not like that!" Vincent says, ripping his face away from the camera. He taps his foot thoughtfully, asking aloud, "We need a prop. But what—_aha_! A lollipop! I shall return!"

Vincent speeds off towards a candy cart, making Adrien laugh at his enthusiasm. A mother pushing a baby carriage walks by, and just as they're about to pass the model, a little baby pokes his head out to catch his eye. Adrien smiles and waves at the baby, who reciprocates the gesture.

"Here you go!" Vincent suddenly exclaims, shoving a pink and white-swirled lollipop in his face.

"Lollipop! Lollipop!" Adrien hears the baby chant.

"No lollipops for you, August," Adrien hears the mother say. "You get a nice bottle of milk instead."

"Now, the pictures will turn out perfect!" Vincent says, gesturing for Adrien to pose with the candy.

After a couple of snaps, Vincent goes through the pictures to see how they turned out. Adrien quickly checks his phone to find a series of texts from Alya.

**Alya Cesaire**_**  
**__marinette's already here! wasn't your photoshoot supposed to be done twenty mins ago?!_

_your driver's here oh NO_

_ok nino and max are on their way to plant the no parking sign HURRY_

Adrien gulps at the text, but he releases a sigh of relief when Vincent shuts off his camera.

"You did well today, Adrien," Vincent grins, satisfied. "Your father will be most pleased with these photos! Good day to you!"

"Thanks! Good work today, bye!" Adrien exclaims, rushing off to meet with Alya.

While on his way there, he catches the mother from earlier struggling to get her baby carriage up the steps. She lets out a groan when her cellphone falls out of her purse's pocket, and despite his own phone vibrating nonstop, Adrien rushes to help the woman out.

"Hello," Adrien greets as he bounds up the stairs. "Would you like some help?"

"Yes, thank you so much," the woman says.

Adrien hops down two steps, lifting up the other half of the carriage. "Hi there, little baby," he greets.

The baby takes his bottle of milk out of his mouth and exclaims while pointing at him, "Lollipop!"

"That's right, I was the one holding the lollipop," Adrien chuckles as he and the woman carefully carry the carriage up the stairs.

Once they've reached the top, Adrien and the mother set the carriage down. No longer able to ignore the onslaught of messages he's receiving, Adrien says goodbye to the mother before running off to meet with Alya.

"_Finally_!" she says. "We've been trying to reach you!"

"Adrien's there?" a series of voices ask through Alya's phone. They'd made a conference call to keep in touch at all times—a good idea, Adrien thinks.

"Took you long enough!" comes Kim's boisterous voice.

"Sorry, sorry," Adrien says, panting as he rests his hands on his elbows.

"Why is your driver already here?" Alya asks while looking through her binoculars. "Did you tell him to pick you up later?"

"I did, but since the photoshoot ended late, he technically _did_ come later," Adrien groans. "I'll go talk to him—"

"_No_!" Alya exclaims. "Once he sees you, you might be forced to go home. Don't worry, the plan is still ongoing. Nino's on his way to plant the _No Parking_ sign right now."

From where they're hiding, they both see Nino place the sign right in front of Adrien's car before sprinting off to hide behind a pillar.

"Perfect," Alya says through her binoculars. "Now, we'll just need Max to tell the police officer about the car. Come in, Max."

Silence.

"Uh, Max?" Alya asks, pulling her cellphone closer to her mouth. "Are you there?"

"Present!" Max suddenly exclaims, surprising everyone on call. "Apologies. I will be there in approximately seventeen minutes."

"Wait, what?" Alya says. "Where are you?"

"Buying a bouquet of flowers for Adrien to present to Marinette," Max says, making Adrien and Alya's jaws drop. "I really do believe that Marinette would be pleased with such a gift."

"Max, we never agreed to that," Alya scolds. "We need you here _right now_. Someone has to tell the police officer about the car!"

"Hey, no fair," Kim says. "If Max can do that, then I can perform the runaway rickshaw act!"

"What about the song?" Ivan asks.

"Okay, everyone quiet," Alya says, trying to calm the ruckus. "Change of plans. Nino, you go tell the officer."

"Fine," Nino says, marching right out of his hiding spot to head on over to the police officer.

"Hey, dude—Sir!" they hear Nino greet.

"Oh, hello there," comes the reply of the familiar Officer Roger. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Uh, yeah, I couldn't help but notice that there's an illegally-parked card over there," Nino says awkwardly, pointing over at Adrien's car.

"Thank you, young man," Officer Roger says before a loud whistle goes off.

Nino looks up at Alya and Adrien to give them a thumbs-up, which the two return. The three of them watch the exchange between Officer Roger and Adrien's driver, and not too long after, Gorilla gets inside the car and drives off.

"Now, that that's out of the way," Alya says. "Anyone see Marinette?"

"I see her," Ivan says. "She's passing through the square in just a bit."

"Perfect," Alya says, turning to Adrien. "Give it your best shot. Good luck!"

With that, she pushes Adrien towards the stairs, encouraging him to go. He takes in a deep breath and hurries down the stairs, bumping right into Marinette as he turns the corner.

"Marinette?" Adrien says, feigning surprise.

"Adrien?" she says, shocked herself. "What are you doing here?"

"I had a photoshoot," he replies. "I just finished. What about you?"

"I was supposed to meet Alya here today, but she couldn't make it last minute," Marinette explains before holding up her sketchbook and pink pencil case. "So, I decided to do some sketching."

"How's that going?" Adrien asks, nervously looking around for a disguised Kim. Shouldn't he have stolen her pencil case by now?

"Not so great," she replies. "I can't find any inspiration."

"O-oh, then in that case…" Adrien starts, deciding just to go for it. "Would you—_look out_!"

Adrien grabs Marinette and dives to the side, saving them from getting run over by a… rickshaw?

Eyebrow raised, Adrien looks back at the driver to find a man wearing a _familiar_ disguise. Adrien's left eye twitches when he realizes just _who_ that was.

"…Are you going to let go of me or not?" Marinette asks flatly.

Adrien freezes for a second before looking down to find himself still hugging Marinette's petite frame. He quickly lets go of her and backs up, making her hit the ground and let out a yelp of pain.

"You did that on purpose," she grumbles, dusting herself off.

"Wow. _This_ is the thanks I get for saving you?" Adrien asks, standing up and offering a hand to help her get back up on her feet. "Unbelievable."

"I could've managed on my own," Marinette says, reaching out to grab his hand. Adrien retreats his at the very last second, making her fall forward. "_Adrien_!"

"Didn't you say you can manage on your own?" he smirks, offering his help for real this time.

"Ugh, fine. _Thank you_," Marinette says, grabbing his hand.

With their hands intertwined, an obnoxiously loud voice starts singing heavy metal, completely ruining the moment. Adrien looks behind Marinette to see Ivan dressed as a police officer singing as loud as he can from behind one of the Trocadéro pillars.

"Do you hear that, too?" Marinette asks, looking around to try to find the source of the singing. "Where's that coming from?"

Adrien screams internally as Ivan continues, only releasing a sigh of relief when he sees Nino poke his head out from a pillar, mouthing him the words, "I'll take care of this."

Just when Adrien thinks that Nino's going to put an end to this madness, the bespectacled boy instead adds fuel to the fire and blasts a romantic love ballad. Adrien resists the urge to slam his own head against one of the many pillars. He wouldn't be surprised if Alya tore out all her hair by now.

Adrien quickly realizes that he's still holding onto Marinette's hand, and so he retreats. Maybe that's why his friends thought it fitting to add some background music.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!" comes a loud voice and the sound of a whistle. Adrien and Marinette turn to find Officer Rogers chasing after another police officer, whom the former knows is Ivan. Marinette seems oblivious to this fact, thankfully.

Adrien sees Gorilla park his car right in front of the _No Parking_ sign once more, and he asks himself just _how_ did it all go so _wrong_?

Adrien and Marinette watch as Ivan rips off his police uniform top, revealing his regular everyday clothes underneath. He throws the costume behind him, making Officer Roger tumble to the ground when it covers his face.

"Is that Ivan—?" Marinette begins.

"_No_," Adrien says, grabbing her shoulders to turn her towards himself. "You're seeing things."

Behind her, Adrien sees Gorilla exit the car, annoyance on his face as he's waited much too long for the blond. Ivan rushed past the driver, throwing off his police officer cap, making it land perfectly on Gorilla's head. Adrien's face contorts in panic when Officer Roger manages to get the police uniform off his head to find Gorilla right in front of him, the cap still on his head.

"You again?! That's it, I'm writing you up!" Officer Roger thunders, taking out his ticket pad and writing in it. "Disruption of the public due to noise, impersonating an officer, running away from an officer, parking violation, non-compliance with orders, and infuriating a usually cheerful police officer! These are your fines!"

Gorilla angrily grabs the tickets being waved in his face, the paper crumpling under his tight grasp. He walks away from his car, looking left and right in hopes of spotting Adrien.

And that's when Adrien sees it—a black butterfly flying towards his driver.

"Uh, I've got to go, see you tomorrow!" Adrien tells Marinette before rushing over to Gorilla, worry evident on his face.

Once Gorilla lays his eyes on Adrien, he smiles from both happiness and relief knowing that he's safe. Adrien sighs in relief when the black butterfly changes course, hopefully gliding through the air to get back to Hawkmoth.

"The photoshoot ended even later than I thought, I'm sorry for making you wait," Adrien apologizes after jogging over to his driver. Gorilla merely shakes his head—his way of letting Adrien know it's all right—the smile never leaving his face.

All of a sudden, a gigantic cloud of violet and black forms meters behind Gorilla, soon vanishing to reveal a giant baby clad in lilac, magenta, and lime green. Adrien immediately notices that it's the baby of the mother he helped out just moments ago—this is confirmed when the mother yells, "August!"

Gorilla makes a protective stance, showing his devotion to keep the blond safe from the akumatized victim.

"_Lollipop_!" the baby cries, his high-pitched voice echoing throughout the entire Trocadéro.

August starts walking around the square, nearly trampling all over innocent bystanders running for their lives. He eventually makes it over to one of the statues and rips one out to shove into his mouth, only to take it out not too long after. After making a sound of disgust, he throws the statue over his shoulder and starts crying, huge drops of water sliding down his face.

Adrien watches the statue fly in the air, gasping when he sees Max on his way to the square, completely oblivious to the chaos as his head is looking down to admire the arrangements of flowers neatly tucked in the crook of his arms. Adrien sprints over to his friend and tackles him to the ground—two seconds later, and they would've been crushed.

Adrien catches a glimpse of Gorilla running towards him before being picked up by August, who shoves him into his mouth, having mistaken him for a lollipop, too. This ends with a saliva-covered Gorilla getting thrown into a tree, making Adrien gasp in horror.

"What's going on?!" Max cries, ignoring his stinging elbow from skidding across the ground.

"Akuma attack! You've got to hide!" Adrien says, grabbing his friend's wrist and dragging him behind one of the pillars. Out of surprised from seeing the enormous baby, Max drops the bouquet of flowers, much to his chagrin.

"Where are the others?" Max asks worriedly.

"I'll go and check, you stay here!" Adrien says before running off and turning the corner.

Once the coast is clear, Adrien lifts up a front of his shirt, allowing Plagg to fly out of his inner breast pocket.

"That looks like a _big_ problem," Plagg says, gulping down a slice of Camembert cheese.

"It does, but trust me," Adrien stifles his laughter, "it'll be like taking candy from a baby."

Adrien and Plagg snicker at their dad jokes before heading right into action.

"PLAGG, TRANSFORM ME!" Adrien exclaims, punching the air.

A flash of green later, Chat Noir extends his baton to get himself on the roof of the Trocadéro Palais. Up there, he sees the baby attempt to grab Alya, Nino, Max, Ivan, and Kim, who are all screaming in fear as they run away. Chat Noir looks around in hopes of finding something that could turn August's attention away from his friends—and that's when he remembers the little bell strapped to his collar.

Chat Noir flicks it with his fingers, making it jingle.

This catches the baby's attention, who turns to face him and flash him a bright smile while repeatedly exclaiming, "Kitty!"

"Hi there, big baby," Chat Noir greets with a wave. "How about a game of _Catch the Kitty_?"

Chat Noir proceeds to jump onto August's forehead and then to the ground, waving both arms around to get him to follow him.

"That's right, catch me if you can!" Chat Noir grins, leading the akumatized victim towards the Seine.

While leading him away from the Trocadéro, Chat Noir gets pulled back by his tail, making him let out a yelp of surprise. August wraps his hand around the hero, exclaiming, "Lollipop!"

"What?! No, no, no! I'm not a lollipop!" Chat Noir yells desperately, words getting louder the closer he gets to the baby's mouth.

"Not much of a natural with kids, are you?"

Chat Noir and August turn to the sound of the voice to find Ladybug standing a few feet away, arms crossed with a smirk on her face.

"Are you kidding?" Chat Noir says, giving her a smirk of his own. "We were playing _Catch the Kitty_ and August here won the game."

With August distracted by Ladybug, his grip loosens, and Chat Noir takes this as an opportunity to escape. He extends his staff, releasing his from the baby's grasp before landing right next to his rival.

"I'm going to take a guess and say that the akuma's in his bracelet," Ladybug says, hurling her yoyo at the baby, and making it wrap around the arm holding the accessory.

August reacts by throwing his arm back, launching Ladybug into the air and onto the Trocadéro roof.

"Looks like you're not much of a natural with kids either," Chat Noir teases when he joins her on the roof.

"I'll have you know I've never babysat anything heavier than ten tons," Ladybug says, moving out of the way before August can grab her with his hand.

"Kitty?" August whimpers, trying to reach a little further.

Ladybug quickly notices the bracelet in his hand and immediately goes for it, resulting in her getting launched into the air a second time. Just as she thinks she's about to hit the hard concrete, Chat Noir comes to her rescue, catching her bridal style.

"A little eager today, are we?" Chat Noir asks, putting her down.

"Okay, change of plans," Ladybug says, clapping her hands together. "Baby's being cranky? We put him in a playpen!"

"And exactly where will we find a playpen his size?" Chat Noir asks.

"The Eiffel Tower! We'll pen him up in there with my yo-yo string. Sing him some lullabies, read him a bedtime story, then when he's getting sleepy, we take his bracelet!" Ladybug exclaims, proud of her plan. She then shrinks and quietly says, "U-uh, it requires a bit of teamwork, so…"

"We can give it a try," Chat Noir says, making Ladybug jump in surprise.

"Wait… really?" Ladybug asks. "You're fine with teaming up?"

"It's not that I want to," Chat Noir says stubbornly. "I just want this battle to be over with. I had big plans for today."

He jumps off the roof with that last said, and Ladybug follows, unable to stop herself from chuckling into her palm.

"What are you laughing at?" Chat Noir asks when they reunite on ground-level.

"Nothing," Ladybug grins. She then waves her hands in the air, exclaiming, "Over here, big baby!"

August shifts his attention to the superheroes, exclaiming gibberish as he takes baby steps towards them. He suddenly stops in his tracks when he catches sight of a familiar pink truck, and he kneels down to take a peek at its display. His face noticeably brightens when he sees the display of swirly, pink and white lollipops.

"Lollipop!" August exclaims, reaching into the truck to try a grab the candies inside. However, out of excitement, August accidentally crushes the truck into the wall behind it. "Lollipop?"

Realizing the error of his actions, August starts crying hysterically, his screams making Ladybug and Chat Noir throw their hands over their ears. Chat Noir is the first to step forward, making the crying baby look down at him in curiosity.

"Don't cry!" Chat Noir says, extending his staff so that he's at eye-level with August. "We'll get you a lollip—_ah!_"

Chat Noir lets out a scream when August backhands him, sending him crashing into a store display window. Luckily, no one was inside the shop when he got thrown inside.

"Chat Noir! Are you all right?" Ladybug asks worriedly as she runs over to him.

"Do I have to answer that question?" Chat Noir asks flatly, thankful that he wasn't cut by some glass. He looks around to find that he crashed into a gift packaging store. His face lights up when he catches sight of wrapping paper with a swirly, pink and white pattern.

"What are you looking at?" Ladybug asks.

"I'm calling for another change of plans," Chat Noir says, getting up and dusting himself off. "The baby's looking for a lollipop, right? He'll be in for a big surprise, then."

Chat Noir sighs as he turns to face his rivals.

"I may need some help," he says, making Ladybug's face brighten.

"I'd be glad to offer mine," she grins.

* * *

"Over here, big baby!"

August rubs the tears away from his eyes to find Ladybug performing flips to try to cheer him up. The baby claps at her stunts and starts crawling towards the heroine, who tries to lead him towards the Seine.

Right at the start of the bridge, August gets distracted by the sound of a car horn beeping, causing him to turn around and change track.

"No! Not there!" Ladybug panics, hugging a lamppost in an attempt to get him to stop crawling away. She resorts to wrapping her yoyo around the baby and pulling him with all her might, but there's only so much her tiny figure can do to a ten-meter tall baby. "I said, not there!"

August shifts his attention back to Ladybug after hearing her raise her voice at him, eyes lighting up when he sees her holding onto a lamppost.

"Lollipop!" August exclaims for the umpteenth time that day, picking her up along with the streetlamp.

"Stop!" Ladybug says, squirming within his grasp. "There's a lollipop right over there! It tastes _much_ better than this one! Stop, stop, stop!"

All of a sudden, a jingle resounds from afar, catching both August and Ladybug's attention.

Their heads turn towards the bridge to find no one in sight besides a lamppost fashioned to look like a lollipop.

"Lollipop!" August grins, letting go of Ladybug and walking towards it.

August picks up the lamppost and unwraps it, revealing Chat Noir in a crouching pose with one hand emanating the familiar dark glow of Cataclysm.

"Playtime's over, kiddo," Chat Noir grins, striking the bracelet with his destructive power.

The bracelet crumbles into pieces, and a butterfly dark as night flutters out of it. Chat Noir captures it with nothing but a twirl of his glowing staff, turning it white and letting it roam free.

"MIRACULOUS CHAT!" he exclaims, hitting one end of his staff against the ground.

Magical green dust travels through the air, and many Parisians cheer as all the damages come undone, restoring all to its previous beauty. Once done, a cloud of violet and black blankets the baby, returning him to his normal size, albeit a good ten meters up in the air. Chat Noir catches August before he can hit the ground, who does nothing but laugh and play with his bell.

"Kitty!" August exclaims, jingling the bell nonstop.

"Okay, so maybe you _are_ a natural with kids," Ladybug laughs, poking August's nose.

"August!" a voice calls out.

Chat Noir looks up to see the baby's mother running up to them, arms outstretched and face relieved. She scoops her baby out of the hero's arms and hugs him tight, crying tears of joy to find him safe and well.

"I cannot thank you two enough for saving August," the woman says.

"Don't worry about it. We're just glad that he's safe," Ladybug says.

A warning beep resounds from Chat Noir's ring, and both heroes take this as their cue to leave. They bid the mother farewell before hopping onto the rooftop of a nearby building.

"Phew, I was really scared that I was going to end up covered in saliva," Ladybug laughs. "We did well to follow your plan."

"My plans never go wrong," Chat Noir grins cockily.

"Of course," Ladybug says, rolling her eyes while chuckling. She holds up a fist, asking in a hopeful voice, "Pound it?"

"Fine," Chat Noir chuckles, bumping his fist with hers.

Ladybug's smile is genuine, and despite it reminding him of his mother's, the bitterness is no longer there. He tries to think back to when the pain stopped, but he's unable to pinpoint an exact moment. And so he thinks, maybe being nice to her isn't so bad after all.

"See you tonight for patrol, then," Ladybug says, taking out her yoyo. "Don't be late!"

She throws an arm back, ready to hurl her weapon into the air, when Chat Noir raises a hand to stop her.

"Ladybug, wait," Chat Noir says almost desperately.

"Something wrong?" she asks, putting her yoyo away.

"Uh… you're a girl, right?" he asks awkwardly, making Ladybug's right eye twitch. Seeing her reaction, he quickly continues, "Forget I asked that. What I _meant_ to say is… you see, there's this…"

"Might want to hurry it up, your transformation's going to wear off soon," Ladybug says, pointing at his black ring.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but," Chat Noir begins. "I need some advice."

"…Who are you and what have you done to Chat Noir?" Ladybug asks, making a fighting stance, annoying her rival. "You're asking _me_ for advice?"

"I am," Chat Noir says, eyeing his beeping ring. "I was wondering… how would you, as a girl, like to get asked out on a date?"

Ladybug's heart drops.

"Oh. You're… asking that girl you like out on one?" Ladybug asks quietly.

"Maybe," Chat Noir says, looking away to avoid eye contact. "Can you just answer the question? I'm dying of embarrassment here."

"Well, I personally would prefer it if the guy just went straight to the point," Ladybug answers, a sad smile on her face. "No beating around the bush, no convoluted plans. Just a simple _would you go out on a date with me?_"

"Just like that?" Chat Noir asks.

Ladybug nods. "Just like that," she says.

"Huh. Thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to follow it," Chat Noir says, eyeing his ring one last time. "I should get going. See you tonight for patrol?"

"As always," Ladybug says, waving goodbye as her rival takes his leave.

She makes her way back to Trocadéro to retrieve her belongings, wondering if she'll ever get Chat Noir to see her as more than just a rival.

* * *

Adrien eyes the bouquet of pink, purple, and white flowers on the ground, sighing as he picks it up and cradles it in the crook of his arm. What was initially planned out to be the perfect day turned into one of disaster thanks to a group of perseverant friends, his own inability to ask the girl he likes out on a date, and an enormous baby. Eyes cast downwards, he starts making his way back to the car, where Gorilla waits for him, all ready to drop them home.

"Adrien!"

Adrien turns his head at the call of his name, surprised to find Marinette walking towards him with her sketchbook in hand.

"M-Marinette?" Adrien stutters as she approaches him. "What are you still doing here?"

"I lost my sketchbook amidst the chaos, and came back to look for it. I'm super relieved it wasn't stolen," she answers. "And you?"

"I'm meeting my driver here," he replies. "Any luck finding inspiration in the end?"

His eyes catching his friends peeking from behind a pillar, and it takes all his willpower to stop himself from slapping his forehead.

"None," Marinette sighs. "I _thought_ I had, but the designs I had in mind just weren't—" She stops mid-sentence, then asks after a brief moment, "What are those flowers for?"

"_Uh_…" Adrien shifts his eyes over to his friends in a panic, who each play charades, hoping he'd use _one_ of their ideas. He quickly decides on Nino's suggestion, who's acting like he's snapping a picture with a camera. "I was using them for my photoshoot. It seems my photographer dropped them while trying to get away from that giant baby."

"They're pretty," Marinette comments. Her face then brightens, and she hurriedly opens her sketchbook, flipping over to a page with a blank asymmetrical summer dress. "Of course! Flowers!"

"Flowers?" Adrien echoes.

"I was wondering what kind of design to add to the dress I'm designing. These flowers specifically are perfect," Marinette answers, showing him the various pattern drafts she drew earlier that day. Clouds, anchors, candies, polka-dots, stripes, gingham; despite all these ideas, none of them left her satisfied, as confirmed by the large _x_ crossed over each one.

Adrien looks down at the flowers, and smiles.

"Here," Adrien says, presenting the bouquet to her. "You can have them."

"…What's the catch?" Marinette asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Is everything I do linked to bad things?" he sighs exasperatedly.

"Yes," she says, but there's no bite behind her words.

"Take them," Adrien smiles, holding the bouquet out for her to take.

"Thank you, Adrien," Marinette says, accepting the flowers. Once cradled in her arms, she adds, "You've been awfully nice today. It's weird."

"I'm always nice," Adrien says, eyebrows furrowed.

"Sure you are," Marinette says, laughing into her palm.

She looks away from the colorful bouquet to smile up at him, and Adrien can't help but smile back. They relish in that moment because for once, they're not at each other's throats, for once, they're exchanging kind words, and this side of Marinette reminds Adrien why he likes her so much. She's kind, she's never afraid to express her gratitude, and she always looks for the best in people even when they've given her plenty of reasons to make her think the worst.

"S-so, um," Adrien starts, nervously shifting from one foot to the other. He thinks about Ladybug's advice, taking in a deep breath as he continues, "If you're not busy, would you—"

_Beep. Beep._

Adrien and Marinette jump at the sound, turning their heads to find Gorilla honking the car horn. Adrien droops his shoulders at the lost opportunity, fully believing that luck just wasn't on his side today. It must truly be a curse to wield the Black Cat Miraculous—it seems like bad luck follows him wherever he goes.

"Better not keep your guard waiting," Marinette says, nodding over at the car. "I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"See you," Adrien says, turning around to walk to his car. He pulls open the door, but he doesn't get inside just yet. He turns back to Marinette and says, "We can give you a ride home if you want."

"Thanks, but," Marinette starts, and Adrien's face falls slightly as he knows a rejection will follow. "I'm probably going to stay out a little longer. Especially now since I have these flowers for inspiration. But thanks for asking."

Adrien nods. "I'll see you tomorrow, then," he says, casting one last glance at his friends (who each give him a thumbs-up) before entering the car and driving off.

* * *

Behind the pillar, the group of five friends all watch as Marinette smells the bouquet of flowers in her arms with a smile on her face. She then turns around and walks off most likely to look for a good spot to continue sketching.

"Things didn't exactly go as planned today, but I think it all worked out in the end," Alya smiles as she watches her best friend disappear around the corner.

"I agree," Nino nods. "He even got to give her the flowers."

"Pink camellias, white gardenias, and lilacs," Max says.

"Pink and white what?" Kim asks in confusion.

"Those are the names of the flowers in that bouquet Max got," Ivan informs Kim, who thanks him for his answer.

"Pink camellias mean _longing for you_, white gardenias mean _close friendship and secret love_, and lilacs," Max smiles knowingly, "mean _growth_."

"Looks like you picked out the perfect bouquet for those two," Alya laughs.

"It's confirmed that Adrien likes her, but what about Marinette?" Ivan asks. "Does _she_ like him?"

"Not right now, but maybe she will someday," Nino answers. "We'll just have to wait a while."

Alya nods.

"A little while."

_end card_

* * *

**A/N:** Quick update because I was too excited to write this chapter!

I really hope I did this episode justice when replacing Marinette's girl group with Adrien's guy group (plus Alya). It was lots of fun trying to think of how they can mess things up, and I can only hope that Nino, Max, Ivan, and Kim were in-character in this chapter. I was really sad about not adding Nathanael into the group, but I thought that adding him would be too mean considering his crush on Marinette, which I honestly believe he's still not over. I'm sorry if you're a big Nathanael fan!

Get ready for the next episode! Not only will Kagami be introduced, but I'll be making it a Ladrien team-up! I actually really like Kagami as a character (she had so much potential!), so I was pretty disappointed that the show ended up making her just some other girl with a crush on Adrien. I'll be re-writing her character into the one I wished she had become instead. :) Stay tuned!

Thank you again for the favorites, alerts, and lovely reviews!

Thank you for reading!

**Akuma Capture:  
****Ladybug: 2  
****Chat Noir: 5**

_Next Episode: Riposte_


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